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Career Path Clarified When Meghan Ross was in high school, she heard a presentation about the prevalence and impact of human trafficking, and was devastated. A few years later, as an HCC Rouse Scholar taking a seminar course, Ross visited The Samaritan Women, a Baltimore-based organization that supports survivors of human trafficking, and decided it was time to get involved. "I have a heart for women and I want to do my part in helping those who have been abused realize they are beautiful and worthy," Ross said. "Getting involved with this organization and being able to work with survivors of human trafficking in their process of healing has inspired a new career path for me." Ross originally planned to volunteer for 15 hours at the site, but she never left. Today, she works part-time as the organization's volunteer coordinator and is studying to become a nurse. "I have learned so much through volunteering and working at The Samaritan Women," she said. "Helping people is the key theme, and it's what I want to do for the rest of my life." "Our students can interact with patients, giving them a deeper understanding of what people with mental illness must endure, and also helps clarify if this is really what they want to concentrate on in terms of their career path," said Peggy Armitage, professor of psychology. "It's a personal experience that can be life-changing." Inspiring Change In the Care of Patients in Community and Mental Health Settings course, nursing students volunteer 12 hours of service learning time to a local organization, and develop health promotion projects in alignment with community needs. Kit Angell, assistant professor of nursing and course leader, says that immersing students in the community has resulted in many interesting and impactful projects. "Once our students get involved with an organization, they collaborate with staff to determine what is needed, or the type of health promotion project that will have a true positive impact," said Angell. "This is about planning and implementing a project that can inspire change." As a student enrolled in the course, Sarah Sauder devoted her service hours to My Sister's Place Women's Center in Baltimore. As she helped prepare and serve meals to women, Sauder and a colleague acknowledged that some women needed education about how to make healthier diet choices to prevent diabetes and heart disease. They developed an informational brochure. "By working on-site at My Sister's Place, I observed things that I never could have learned by simply reading or researching," Sauder said. "It opened my eyes to the psychiatric side of nursing; which I had never really considered. If I hadn't taken this class, I would not have applied for the job I have today at Springfield Hospital Center." Making an Impact What makes Center for Service Learning unique and valuable is its 14 Howard Community College