UCF’s Annual Service-Learning
Student Showcase
The annual event showcases service-learning student
projects where students compete for over $10,000 in
scholarships. Much like the Graduate and Undergraduate
Research Showcases, students from UCF colleges
participate and benefit from learning about academic
service-learning as experienced in various disciplines.
Students are required to create posters about their
projects then present to scholarship committee
members and the general public. Each student or student
team shares how their service project aligns with
learning outcomes for their course.
Sample Poster Presentations include:
Creativity: Transcending Memory Loss
Using the theme the ability to transcend, this
interdisciplinary, multimedia work focuses on
the creativity of people who have dementia. It
explores the use of non-traditional storytelling
to gather information about a possible
increase in creativity that accompanies the
loss of cognitive ability.
Brazillian Invaders!
During National Invasive Species Awareness
week, we traveled to Ms. Snow’s fourth
grade classroom at Andover Elementary to
share our marine biology research on
invasive plants. With their science fair
looming around the corner, we came
dressed as scientists bringing a wealth of
information: first, about the scientific
method, and second, on the significance of
invasive species.
Program Redesign
The Magnificent Seven
We worked with Kids Beating Cancer, a nonprofit
organization that provides medical and emotional
care for kids with this disease. The objective of our
team is to raise $1,000 dollars in order to help the
kids. We raised $1765.91 with some very successful
events. These events helped us learn even more
about teamwork and time management than we
could have learned in the classroom. We learned
about professionalism when it came to dealing with
the clients and the people helping with donations.
A formal phenomenological program
evaluation study in the fall of 2010,
collected one-to-one semi-structured
interview data from ten mentors, analyzed
the data and identified six themes, and
developed a prototype for a redesigned
+AP program in partial fulfillment of the
course requirements for IDS 7501-Seminar
in Educational Research. The redesigned
program, which was launched in the fall of
2011, included several mentor suggestions
for improvement contained the program
evaluation.
.
Elementary Literacy Project
Young Orange County ESOL readers acquire
critical literacy skills, UCF participants
sharpen their curricular and instructional
skills, and both parties are granted an
invaluable and unforgettable learning
experience. Together, we read, we learn and
we succeed.
The Drama Chefs
The Orlando Union Rescue Mission
(OURM) is a homeless service
provider which has served
Orlando’s hungry and homeless for
over sixty years. The community
houses men, women, and families
from all walks of life, affording
them the opportunity to
reestablish their lives. Our work
targeted youth living at OURM
between the ages of eleven and
fifteen, giving us fifteen regular
attendees at our residencies.
Service-Learning Student Showcase Scholarships
($100-$1000 each)
Through the generosity of UCF’s Student Government Association (SGA), seven Colleges,
Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Office of Experiential Learning over $11,000 in scholarships
were awarded in 2012 to the most meaningful service-learning projects presented at the
showcase. The scholarship awards include:
Excellence in Graduate Engagement
Innovative Project
Youth Development
Capacity Building
Pedagogical Value
Quality of Display
Caliber of Reflection
Sustainability
• Environmental Sustainability
Economic Sustainability
• Social Sustainability
Excellence in Graduate Engagement
Excellence in Undergraduate Engagement
Significant Impact
Literacy Engagement
Value to Agency
Enhancement of Civic Responsibility
Leadership
Peer Choice
The Office of Experiential Learning Award
& Scholarship
Students also receive
Recognition of Excellence Awards
for the following:
Non-Traditional Literacy Engagement
Social Justice
Technological Integration
Engaging the Arts Engaging
Community Online
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
$500 Scholarships from Participating
Colleges and Programs
College of Arts & Sciences
The Burnett Honors College
College of Business Administration
College of Education
College of Health & Public Affairs
College of Sciences
Interdisciplinary Studies
2012 Recognition & Scholarship
Award Winners
9th Annual Service-Learning Student Showcase
Student Government Association and The Office of Experiential Learning
Recognition & Scholarship Award Winners 2012
Engaging the Arts Award
The student(s) incorporates elements of the arts to enhance overall success of the service-learning project.
Team Winners: Creativity: Transcending Memory Loss
Stella Dinelli and Alice Spicer
Course: CRW 4941 Independent Study
Faculty Member: Terry Thaxton
Community Partner: Emeritus Assisted Living Facility (Memory Care Unit)
College of Arts & Humanities
Using the theme the ability to transcend, this interdisciplinary, multimedia work focuses on the creativity of people who have dementia. It
explores the use of non-traditional storytelling to gather information about a possible increase in creativity that accompanies the loss of
cognitive ability.
Currently there is a lot of research available about the debilitating affects of memory loss, but there is very little research available about
retained abilities. The storytelling workshops are based on the work of Anne Bastings, founder of Timeslips, a project at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Center on Age & Community. The goal of this multimedia work is to contribute to a small but growing effort to
explore “memory loss as […] more than just memory loss” (Bastings) and to present the observations in a format that appeals to both
academia and the general public.
The importance of learning about the creative ability of workshop participants with Alzheimer’s and dementia is twofold. First, creative
writing students may be able to discover how to let go of the internal censor, use fresh language, and view the world from a unique
perspective by spending time working with the workshop participants. Second, the workshop participants have an opportunity to overcome
the public stigma of their illness by using it as a springboard for a positive contribution to the academic community and society in general.
Regardless of the outcome, we hope to raise awareness about possible benefits of an ongoing collaboration between academic creative
writing community and people who have Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Engaging Community Online Award
The award recognizes a service-learning project that occurred in an online course and was successful in both aligning project with course
curriculum and enhancing service needs with community partner(s).
Team Winners: X Factor
Kamalkoli Bhattacharya, Roger Hadley, Amanda Newton and Elizabeth Szigeti
Course: EME 6613 Instructional Systems Design
Faculty Member: Dr. Atsusi Hirumi
Community Partner: Simiosys and Museum of Science and Industry-Tampa
College of Education
X Factor worked with Simiosys to develop an instructional unit for a website to accompany an exhibit for the Museum of Science and
Industry in Tampa. The exhibit is sponsored by NASA and provides visitors with the experience of being on a lunar colony. The website is a
complementary experience fostering a deeper understanding of living in space.
We designed a unit of instruction for our service-learning partner by: conducting goal, instructional, learner and context analyses;
generating, clustering and sequencing performance objectives; determining assessment methods; selecting media; and creating
flowcharts and storyboards. Our instructional unit focuses on maintaining health and wellness on the moon and targets 7th –9th grade
learners who will visit the museum with their family or class. We developed a game-based experience to encourage interest in space
exploration and STEM careers, incorporating Sunshine State Standards for Math and Science. Within our website, learners can use tools
to examine fellow astronauts and view health-related graphs.
We applied the Interplay Instructional Strategy, which is still in development. We not only fulfilled the learning objective for our class,
which was to learn and apply instructional systems design to a specific project, but will also be published in a book chapter on the
Interplay Strategy.
We have continued to work on our project this semester, and have developed a working prototype for one part of the website. It has
been an exciting, challenging and rewarding process. Working with Simiosys provided us with an authentic project which could reach
hundreds of students and their families.
Non-Traditional Literacy Engagement Award
The award recognizes a project that goes beyond the traditional thinking of “reading and writing” to include use of media, non-traditional
texts (i.e., magazines, comic books, social networking, technology, drawings and the like), music, oral discovery, and other “texts” that
promote a complex understanding of literacy.
Winner: Emilie Finney
Course: ART 5949 Cooperative Education in Art
Faculty Members: Terry Thaxton, Dr. Sheri Dressler, and Katie Snyder
Community Partner: Passport Charter School
College of Arts & Humanities
This project was as a result of ArtsBridge, a program that matches college students from various creative disciplines to schools in the
surrounding community searching for a creative approach to a project. The objective of the internship was for the college student to teach
this class incorporating concepts from his or her discipline with the goal of an end project completed by the class.
I was paired with Passport Charter School’s seventh grade Language Arts class. Throughout the semester I taught literary, visual art and
design concepts, as well as how to use Microsoft Office programs. We created a periodical titled “7 th Grade News about Panther Pride” and
the students collaborated to bring one issue to life. The students broke into groups in charge of writing articles, creating the artwork for the
periodical, and organizing the periodical.
Throughout the semester the students honed their creative writing skills and also learned about visual concepts they would otherwise have
not learned. My specific goal was to help the students develop into independent writers enabling them to write well with few mistakes
completely on their own. My hope was to empower these students; make them confident in their skills as writers. Upon reflection of my
specific approach, I think that not only did I teach these students, they taught me. I learned much throughout the project and saw areas I
could improve. I received positive feedback from my supervising teacher and positive support from the students. The project proved
meaningful to us all.
Social Justice Award
The award recognizes a project that addresses issues based on ideas concerning equality, human rights, and the recognition of dignity in
every human being. The project will reveal that a significant change of world view has occurred for the students involved in the project.
The presentation will also consider next steps- even small ones!- in addressing how to solve the issues at hand.
Team Winners: Young Women Leaders
Samantha Daley, Rachel Miles and Emily Vrostos
Course: WST 4021
Faculty Member: Meredith Tweed
Community Partner: Young Women Leaders Program
College of Arts & Humanities
This project was centered around the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP), which works with the UCF Women’s Studies program to
engage local seventh-grade girls in one-on-one peer mentoring and activities designed to build their critical-thinking and leadership skills.
Instead of just focusing on YWLP as an organization, the researchers wanted to increase active girls’ leadership within the program.
Reflecting YWLP’s new material on cyberawareness and cyberbullying, we also wanted to help the girls become familiar with virtual
spaces as ones of potential empowerment and agency, if used in safe and appropriate means.
To accomplish these goals, we presented the girls with the task of creating and submitting original content to be compiled as a selfpublished ’zine, added their voices to the online conversation via an official YWLP Twitter, and put together a scrapbook using pages the
girls designed and made themselves. Because we also wanted to this project to be specific to the little sisters of this semester, we
refocused select parts on an additional anti-bullying initiative, which we felt best addressed these girls’ stated needs. We created and
presented to the girls at UCF day a lesson plan on advocacy, bullying, and the importance of support, as well as shifted the topic of the
video PSA we wanted to make with the girls to one of anti-bullying and bullying awareness. Combined, we hoped these initiatives would
give the girls YWLP worked with in Fall 2012 new avenues to have their voices heard on the issues most important to them.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Award
The award recognizes a project that enhances the understanding of science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM. by
enhancing communication abilities and learning outcomes/understanding of concepts required in these disciplines.
Team Winners: TeaMytalla
Joan King and Noémi Rébeli Szabό
Course: BSC 4312 Marine Biology
Faculty Member: Dr. Linda Walters
Community Partner: Leanne Buchannan with Sanford Middle School
College of Sciences
For our Service-Learning project, we partnered with Ms. Leanne Buchanan and her three Sanford Middle School Marine Biology classes,
totaling 90 students. With them, we discussed the scientific method and how it works in a real case study experiment. The basis of our
research was invasive species and whether or not native predators prefer or avoid them.
Our experiment involved two prey species, the native mussel Geukensia demissa, the invasive mussel Mytella charruana, and the native
mussel predator, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. We explored the relationship between the organisms by examining how the blue crabs’
foraging behavior differed between mussels. Our results showed that blue crabs choose the invasive mussel over the native mussel. We
ran one replicate trial experiment at Sanford Middle School to give students a first-hand experience on scientific method and to highlight
several important ideas in ecology. These ideas included optimal foraging theory, importance of invasive species, biological barriers, and
basic scientific technique. We designed a game to engage the students to better help them understand these concepts and brought in a
touch tank with live marine organisms for hands-on experience.
Many of these concepts are so essential to ecology that they should be taught to students of all ages, and especially to these middle
school students who have shown interest in marine biology. Being UCF students, we benefited from this experience by promoting biology
education, sharing knowledge we have garnered, and getting a new generation excited about science.
Technological Integration Award
The award recognizes most effective use of technology to help implement the project.
Team Winners: iCan Communicate: Team SL Peeps
Joline Alexander, Randi Baumgartner, Andrea Barina, Sarah
Brickner, Christina Burton, Kelly Carroll, Anastasia Creasy,
Brittany Gonick, Caitlin Hagenbaumer, Melanie Margolies, Michele Matthews, Rachel Nagel, Lacey Timmons, Lauren Varnadore and Ana
Zunga
Course: SPA 6559 Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Faculty Member: Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh
Community Partner: The Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and the Florida Alliance Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Center
College of Health & Public Affairs
Our team partnered with the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida to plan and implement the iCan Communicate program. This semester,
the foundation donated iPads with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) “app” that we selected and programmed for
each individual child.
We first administered standardized assessment tools to gather data regarding each child’s language, speech, and other areas of
development that would provide insights into how they might use an app for functional communication. We then researched and
participated in training sessions for various apps with our clients’ individual needs and skills in mind. Once we had narrowed down the field
of viable options for our assigned client, we conducted two supervised therapy sessions in which we tried out each carefully selected app
with the client and their caregivers. This allowed us to reach a decision as to which app would be best able to meet communicative needs
of each client. The last day of the iCan Communicate program allowed the children and their families to practice use of their new,
individually programmed app in several spring themed activities.
Through the iCan Communicate program, our knowledge of individuals with complex communication needs was demonstrated in an applied
manner. We synthesized this knowledge with relevant research to provide evidence-based assessment and intervention for the
participating families. The outcome made a lasting impression on all involved. Many parents watched their children communicate
effectively and with significantly less frustration for the first time.
Pedagogical Value Scholarship ($100)
Apparent pedagogical value of the project; the degree to which the project is clearly integrated into the course or advances the course
objectives. Each student is asked to provide a copy of the course syllabus. What is the linkage between the SL project and the course
objectives?
Team Winners: iCan Communicate: Team SL Peeps
Joline Alexander, Randi Baumgartner, Andrea Barina, Sarah Brickner, Christina Burton, Kelly Carroll, Anastasia Creasy, Brittany Gonick,
Caitlin Hagenbaumer, Melanie Margolies, Michele Matthews, Rachel Nagel, Lacey Timmons, Lauren Varnadore and Ana Zunga
Course: SPA 6559 Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Faculty Member: Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh
Community Partner: The Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and the Florida Alliance Assistive Services and
Technology (FAAST) Center
College of Health & Public Affairs
Our team partnered with the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida to plan and implement the iCan Communicate program. This semester,
the foundation donated iPads with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) “app” that we selected and programmed for
each individual child.
We first administered standardized assessment tools to gather data regarding each child’s language, speech, and other areas of
development that would provide insights into how they might use an app for functional communication. We then researched and
participated in training sessions for various apps with our clients’ individual needs and skills in mind. Once we had narrowed down the field
of viable options for our assigned client, we conducted two supervised therapy sessions in which we tried out each carefully selected app
with the client and their caregivers. This allowed us to reach a decision as to which app would be best able to meet communicative needs
of each client. The last day of the iCan Communicate program allowed the children and their families to practice use of their new,
individually programmed app in several spring themed activities.
Through the iCan Communicate program, our knowledge of individuals with complex communication needs was demonstrated in an applied
manner. We synthesized this knowledge with relevant research to provide evidence-based assessment and intervention for the
participating families. The outcome made a lasting impression on all involved. Many parents watched their children communicate
effectively and with significantly less frustration for the first time.
Quality of Display Scholarship ($100)
Quality of the display: clarity, impact, intellectual stimulation, interest and creativity. How well does the display explain the project and its
impact? Is it an interesting and creative presentation?
Team Winners: The KHK Promotional Video Team
Andrew Hamaty, Victor Huipio, Shivam Parekh and George Saad
Course: LDR 2002 intermediate Foundations of Leadership
Faculty Member: Kathleen Rancourt
Community Partner: UCF Knights Pantry
Interdisciplinary Studies
Our service-learning project was created to raise awareness for the Knights Helping Knights Pantry, through a promotional video which
both used emotional persuasion and provided details on how to help. The Knights Helping Knights Pantry is a student created program
which provides food to underprivileged and financially unstable UCF students.
Year after year, hundreds upon hundreds of students are unable to obtain food because of the higher costs of tuition and lower amounts
of financial aid; through this video we hope to raise awareness of this growing problem as well as provide information on how to help
fight it. Basically explaining to students that by donating even one can, you can feed a colleague.
The video took hours of hard work, which included planning, filming B-roll, interviewing various students, etc. This project could not have
been completed without the tireless work of all our team members as well as the constant cooperation with the Knights Helping Knights
Pantry.
This project is best explained by a quote explaining the necessity of the Knights Helping Knights Pantry from best-selling author Frank
McKinney, “It could be a model for other colleges because you know if it’s happening here it’s happening elsewhere. Kids are going to
class spending money on books and they’re eating one can of peaches a day. That’s sad…”
Value to Agency & Community Scholarship ($100)
Some service-learning projects, although obviously worth doing as a means of advancing course objectives, have little or no value to the
sponsoring agency or to the community at large, while other projects are distinguished by their agency or community impact.
Winner: Rachel Ianni
Course: GRA 3112C Intermediate Media-Graphics Design
Faculty Member: Dr. Joo Kim
Community Partner: Young Women Leaders Program and UCF Women’s Studies Program
College of Arts & Humanities
My class was presented with a request from the Young Women Leaders Program to create a new logo and identity that would be relatable
and relevant to all audiences. The YWLP partners female UCF students with middle school girls so that they can practice positive
leadership skills and, in turn have a positive effect on their lives and the lives of classmates and the community.
Designing this identity, I wanted to create something that was fun, fresh and could be appreciated by and appeal to all audiences. The tree
branch in the logo represents the growing program, branching out into sections, which are made to reference the program’s members. The
letters “YWLP” playfully balance on the branch. Large leaves next to smaller ones represent the Big/Little Sister mentoring part of the
program. Trees are a powerful symbol, reflecting knowledge, strength and continuous growth, which have everything to do with the YWLP.
Through this project, I learned the values of meeting a client’s needs and creating an appropriate and cohesive identity.
Caliber of Reflection Scholarship ($100)
Intentional reflection must take place in order to thoughtfully connect the service-learning experience with the assigned coursework—
reflection is what transforms experiences into learning. Each display should provide an example or explanation of a reflection component.
What evidence is there of structured reflection?
Team Winners: Salt-N-Pepa
Brian Curry, Katherine Joseph, Sydney Katz, David Moss and Paula Yespelkis
Course: BSC 4312C Marine Biology
Faculty Member: Dr. Linda Walters
Community Partner: Sunrise Elementary School and UCF Department of Biology
College of Sciences
When a species is introduced into a new environment, it can negatively affect the habitat it invades. A hallmark characteristic of an
invasive species is its ability to disperse and thrive over a wide range of environments. Additionally, invasive species are hard to manage
and even harder to eradicate, so our main line of defense is to prevent introductions. In order to do this, it’s important to educate others
on the subject.
We visited Ms. Tricia LaChance’s 5th grade class at Sunrise Elementary School in Orange County. Through a musical chairs activity (that we
adapted for our use), the students learned how invasive species could devastate an ecological region. We also explained different ways
species could be introduced into an area. We educated the students about what to do with unwanted pets instead of releasing them into
the wild. In our Marine Biology class, we have been conducting research on the dispersal of an invasive plant (Brazilian pepper) and we
used our research to explain it’s devastating impact in Central Florida. To get the kids acquainted with the biological diversity of native
and non-native species, we brought in live marine animals and plants, which was a huge hit. Seeing first-hand what impact we made in
their lives with our presentation was a rewarding experience.
Dr. Walters has stressed that science doesn’t count unless we use it to educate others. Through this experience, we were able to use our
research and experience to do our part to educate the next generation.
Enhancement of Civic Responsibility Scholarship ($100)
Value of the project in fostering a student’s sense of civic responsibility. To what extent does the student’s involvement in the project
seem to have fostered a sense of civic responsibility? Are students better citizens as a result?
Winner: Emilie Finney
Course: ART 5949 Cooperative Education in Art
Faculty Members: Terry Thaxton, Dr. Sheri Dressler, and Katie Snyder
Community Partner: Passport Charter School
College of Arts & Humanities
This project was as a result of ArtsBridge, a program that matches college students from various creative disciplines to schools in the
surrounding community searching for a creative approach to a project. The objective of the internship was for the college student to
teach this class incorporating concepts from his or her discipline with the goal of an end project completed by the class.
I was paired with Passport Charter School’s seventh grade Language Arts class. Throughout the semester I taught literary, visual art and
design concepts, as well as how to use Microsoft Office programs. We created a periodical titled “7 th Grade News about Panther Pride”
and the students collaborated to bring one issue to life. The students broke into groups in charge of writing articles, creating the
artwork for the periodical, and organizing the periodical.
Throughout the semester the students honed their creative writing skills and also learned about visual concepts they would otherwise
have not learned. My specific goal was to help the students develop into independent writers enabling them to write well with few
mistakes completely on their own. My hope was to empower these students; make them confident in their skills as writers. Upon
reflection of my specific approach, I think that not only did I teach these students, they taught me. I learned much throughout the
project and saw areas I could improve. I received positive feedback from my supervising teacher and positive support from the
students. The project proved meaningful to us all.
Graduate Engagement Scholarship ($400)
Excellence in quality of project design and implementation at the graduate level.
Share the Care—Conway
Meredith Cler and Gabriel Trainer
Course: SPA 6417 Cognitive/Communicative Disorders
Faculty Member: Dr. Anthony Kong
Community Partner: Yvonne Miller at Share the Care-Conway
College of Health & Public Affairs
Share the Care-Conway (StC-C) is an adult day care for physically and cognitively impaired adults. Our aim during this servicelearning project was to provide cognitive stimulation both in the short- and long-term for StC-C clients with cognitivecommunicative disorders
We designed a magazine scavenger hunt to promote memory, language, and executive skills; clients needed to read and
comprehend directions, identify pictures belonging to various categories, and cut and glue pictures to a handout. We also
promoted memory and language use through reminiscing during normal conversation or prompted by aids such as images of
vintage instruments. After noting some clients’ confusion and distress, we created laminated daily schedules to be filled out by
caretakers in order to promote orientation and minimize distress.
Our experience culminated in creating memory books from photos provided by clients and their families. We laminated each photo
and, with the client’s assistance, organized and bound them. The photos were then labeled to the best of the client’s abilities, or
left blank for family to fill in. One client was so pleased with her memory book that she said she would look at it every night before
she went to bed.
This project enabled us to apply our in-class learning during interactions with clients with cognitive-communicative disorders. The
clients, in exchange, received cognitive stimulation during our service-learning hours. More importantly, however, some clients will
benefit daily from our orientation aids, and many clients will benefit long-term from the memory and reminiscing aids that we
created from their photos.
Undergraduate Engagement Scholarship ($400)
Excellence in quality of project design and implementation at the undergraduate level.
Winner: Rachel Ianni
Course: GRA 3112C Intermediate Media-Graphics Design
Faculty Member: Dr. Joo Kim
Community Partner: Young Women Leaders Program and UCF Women’s Studies Program
College of Arts & Humanities
My class was presented with a request from the Young Women Leaders Program to create a new logo and identity that would be
relatable and relevant to all audiences. The YWLP partners female UCF students with middle school girls so that they can practice
positive leadership skills and, in turn have a positive effect on their lives and the lives of classmates and the community.
Designing this identity, I wanted to create something that was fun, fresh and could be appreciated by and appeal to all audiences.
The tree branch in the logo represents the growing program, branching out into sections, which are made to reference the
program’s members. The letters “YWLP” playfully balance on the branch. Large leaves next to smaller ones represent the Big/Little
Sister mentoring part of the program. Trees are a powerful symbol, reflecting knowledge, strength and continuous growth, which
have everything to do with the YWLP.
Through this project, I learned the values of meeting a client’s needs and creating an appropriate and cohesive identity.
Graduate Innovative Project Scholarship ($400)
The project is authentic and successfully addresses a need in the community that aligns with learning outcomes and objectives listed
in the course syllabus.
Team Winners: Brain Fitness
Caitlin Hagenbaumer, Lacey Timmons and Ana Zuniga
Course: SPA 6417 Cognitive/Communicative Disorders
Faculty Member: Dr. Anthony Kong
Community Partner: Brain Fitness Club
College of Health & Public Affairs
The purpose of our service-learning project was to explore the implementation of apps in iPads to conduct cognitive exercises at
the Brain Fitness Club (BFC), a clinical setting for clients with early dementia. We looked at the relative value of different apps
available through the iTunes market and evaluated each app in different parameters, including ease of use, cognitive areas
targeted, cost of the app, possible implementation in the clinical setting, and response from clinicians and BFC members. We also
reported the process of selecting appropriate apps.
We found that the most successful apps incorporated simple mathematics, letter descrambling, and activities similar to existing
group activities in the BFC and the least successful apps were characterized by pre-set time limits. We concluded that the iPad is a
viable tool to supplement professional clinical interventions for clients with dementia. The iTunes market is expanding and more
appropriate apps may become available in the future.
This service-learning project is specifically related to our course learning objectives. By researching the efficacy and client response
to the use of technology in cognitive stimulation, we are addressing issues of implementing different approaches, how to structure
activities during intervention, and how to manipulate the context of intervention. By researching and testing various modes of
intervention related to technology, we are able to broaden our scope of knowledge in relation to possible intervention techniques
that can be used with individuals with cognitive-communication disorders.
Undergraduate Innovative Project Scholarship ($400)
The project is authentic and successfully addresses a need in the community that aligns with learning outcomes and objectives listed
in the course syllabus.
Winner: Elizabeth Baez
Course: GRA 3112C Intermediate Graphic Design II
Faculty Member: Dr. Joo Kim
Community Partner: Young Women’s Leadership Program
College of Arts & Humanities
I focused my project on the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP). The Young Women Leader Program is a non-profit organization
that needs as much support as they can to continue making a change in these girls lives. This mentoring program is sponsored by the
UCF Women's Studies Program. YWLP gives middle school girls an opportunity to pair up with collegiate women. YWLP gives us the
opportunity to mold our young women today into independent and extraordinary leaders of tomorrow.
Where do I come in? During this project I had to treat YWLP as a real client versus looking at them as just another class assignment. I
used my skills and knowledge to produce a brand for YWLP. I wanted my design to help the Program get better known so they can
gain better funding in years to come. In my Intermediate Graphic Design class; I made an entire look for YWLP, by creating a whole
identity system for them. By doing this project I was able to be involved a little more in my community. It help gain real world
experience, increase my communication skills, and most importantly it made me feel like I was finally part of something bigger than
myself.
Graduate Leadership Scholarship ($400)
An undertaking at the graduate level that proves exceptional leadership in working to create and implement the project that
serves a need in the community. The effort will provide evidence that all members were equally involved and responsible to the
success of the project. It will also be evident that the community partner(s) will have assisted in the group understanding of
strong leadership qualities necessary to the particular project.
Winner: A Program Redesign: Titusville High School’s Positive Annual Progress (+AP) Minority Student Mentoring Program
Patrick Craanen
Course: IDS 7501 Seminar in Educational Research: Issues and Reseaerch in Education & IDS 7502 Case Studies in
Educational Research
Faculty Member: Dr. David Boote
Community Partner: Titusville High School, Brevard County Public Schools
Launched in 2005, Titusville High School’s (THS) Positive Annual Progress (+AP) Student Mentoring Program was designed to
raise academic achievement levels and graduation rates of THS’ minority students. For several years, the program flourished.
However, by the end of the 2009-2010 school year, something was definitely awry with program as most staff and several
teachers ceased participating as mentors in the program. Thus I began the IRB process for a formal phenomenological program
evaluation study in the fall of 2010, collected one-to-one semi-structured interview data from ten mentors, analyzed the data
and identified six themes, and developed a prototype for a redesigned +AP program in partial fulfillment of the course
requirements for IDS 7501-Seminar in Educational Research. The redesigned program, which was launched in the fall of 2011,
included several mentor suggestions for improvement contained the program evaluation.
As with any service-learning project, ongoing evaluation is key to the process, therefore, as part of the course requirements for
IDS 7502-Case Studies in Educational Research, I evaluated the effects of the redesign by anonymously surveying 31 of the 41
teacher-mentors concerning their experiences, opinions, and perceptions of the newly redesigned program. Results were
overwhelmingly positive with 95% of the mentees indicating they were well matched with their mentee and that the mentoring
experience was mutually beneficial and a worthwhile use of their time. Finally, 100% of respondents indicated they were
satisfied with the structure and organization of the program and further, that they will continue mentoring in the program next
year.
Undergraduate Leadership Scholarship ($400)
A group project at the undergraduate level that proves exceptional leadership in working together to create and implement a
project that serves a need in the community. The team effort will provide evidence that all members were equally involved and
responsible to the success of the project. It will also be evident that the community partner(s) will have assisted in the group
understanding of strong leadership qualities necessary to the particular project.
Team winners: Young Women Leaders
Samantha Daley, Rachel Miles and Emily Vrostos
Course: WST 4021 Girls and Leadership
Faculty Member: Meredith Tweed
Community Partner: Young Women Leaders Program
College of Arts & Humanities
This project was centered around the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP), which works with the UCF Women’s Studies
program to engage local seventh-grade girls in one-on-one peer mentoring and activities designed to build their critical-thinking
and leadership skills. Instead of just focusing on YWLP as an organization, the researchers wanted to increase active girls’
leadership within the program. Reflecting YWLP’s new material on cyberawareness and cyberbullying, we also wanted to help
the girls become familiar with virtual spaces as ones of potential empowerment and agency, if used in safe and appropriate
means.
To accomplish these goals, we presented the girls with the task of creating and submitting original content to be compiled as a
self-published ’zine, added their voices to the online conversation via an official YWLP Twitter, and put together a scrapbook
using pages the girls designed and made themselves. Because we also wanted to this project to be specific to the little sisters of
this semester, we refocused select parts on an additional anti-bullying initiative, which we felt best addressed these girls’ stated
needs. We created and presented to the girls at UCF day a lesson plan on advocacy, bullying, and the importance of support, as
well as shifted the topic of the video PSA we wanted to make with the girls to one of anti-bullying and bullying awareness.
Combined, we hoped these initiatives would give the girls YWLP worked with in Fall 2012 new avenues to have their voices
heard on the issues most important to them.
Capacity Building Scholarship ($400)
The award recognizes a student group that worked with a partner agency in helping them develop mechanisms to guide growth
and/or programming.
Team Winners: Knight Owls
Alicia DiGianvincenzo, Virgil Williams and Amy Yaros
Course: GEB 3031L Cornerstone Lab: Professional Skills for Business
Faculty Member: Christopher Leo
Community Partner: Devereux Florida
College of Business Administration
Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most underserved and vulnerable
members of our communities. They serve more than 1,300 children and families a week in over 50 programs that meet the
behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and child welfare needs in our community. Unfortunately, many
of their programs rely only on the community support and donations because there is not enough money and they cannot do it
alone.
Our group will be raising money towards the Children’s Benefit Fund that allows the children to attend summer camps and
alleviate expenses for their after school activities. We would like to exceed our client’s expectations not only by making our
target donation, but also by raising awareness and educating people about the organization and specifically the children and
families in need in our community. We are planning to raise $1000 in donations for the Children’s Benefit fund to help children
attend summer camps and after-school programs sponsored by Devereux Florida.
We made the organization more efficient by raising awareness and educating the community (family, friends, coworkers and
companies) about all the services and lives they touch every day. As of April 4, 2012,we have raised $1631 and beat our goal.
Each member of our group was given the opportunity to be a project manager of one of the tasks and lead. We used the
GroupTable website for our main means of communication, and it helped us to stay on top of things. We all worked as a team
to come up with our SMART goal and the assigned tasks throughout the semester.
Literacy Engagement Scholarship ($400)
The award recognizes a project that focuses on literacy in the traditional description, which concentrates on the ability to read and
write.
Team Winners: Catalina for College
Amy Askren, Heather Burke, Brian Connelly, Kyle Davidson, Erin Grigley, Michael Gualandri and Destiny Shurte
Course: LDR 3950 Leadership in Action: Capstone Experience for LEAD Scholars
Faculty Member: Kelly Astro
Community Partner: Catalina Elementary School
Interdisciplinary Studies
Catalina for College impacted the community through its work with Catalina Elementary and Achieve a College Education (ACE)
Day. The project’s purpose was to inspire 5th graders in the surrounding areas to strive towards obtaining a college education.
This was accomplished through two components, first visiting Catalina Elementary and talking to the 5th graders and second ACE
Day.
Our classroom visits gave the students a chance to learn about the steps one must take throughout their educational path such as
getting good grades, doing well on the FCAT, making smart decisions, and always believing in themselves. They learned
that college can be affordable through scholarships. ACE Day allowed everything we had told the students to take a physical form
as they got to tour UCF, meet and talk with esteemed UCF professors and alumni, and see what campus life is really like. They
were surrounded not only by their fellow classmates, but hundreds of fellow 5th graders from surrounding schools and many
happy and successful college students like us.
The students at Catalina Elementary face daily hardships in their lives and college is not always seen as a possibility. Being part of
ACE Day, we were able to create a tangible goal for these students to hold on to and continue to strive towards. Being a member
of Catalina for College impacted our team greatly as we saw the difference we made in their lives as they knew that there are
others who believe in them.
Significant Impact Scholarship ($400)
The greatest number of clients impacted by the service project using thoughtful and thorough procedures and assessment
mechanism(s).
UCF College of Medicine
Teresa Martin and Megan Vu
Course: Imbedded throughout College Experience
Faculty Member: Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan
Community Partner: LMSA at UCF, Project World Health at USF, Dr. Abbad (Physician in Dominican Republic) and Dr. Hidalgo
(Physician in Miami and Dominican Republic)
College of Medicine
MedPACt is an organization at the UCF College of Medicine that focuses on increasing awareness of healthcare disparities while
serving the needs of medically underserved populations on a global scale. In December 2011 we partnered with UCF nursing
students and LMSA students from USF College of Medicine to provide medical care rural communities in Jarabacoa, Dominican
Republic. In the past, we have also partnered with Project World Health (PWH) at USF, in hopes of learning from their fifteen years
of expertise.
Our group has also succeeded in sustaining relationships with liaisons on site in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Abad, an Ob/Gyn in
Jarabacoa, has been the Dominican Republic liaison for USF and UF visits for the last 15 years. MedPACt’s aim is to establish
continuity of care to the region through involvement of local universities. We would like to collaborate with the UCATECI medical
school in a nearby city of La Vega, as well as with other schools in the area. By bringing together and forging bonds among medical,
nursing, pharmacy, and public health students, we can build a multidisciplinary team; one that is able to effect the broadest
provision of healthcare needs in our outreach events abroad. Connections at La Vega will help keep us informed of the needs of the
community throughout subsequent visits. It is our hope that collaborating with other Florida Institutions who visit the area at
different times will serve to make our trips more sustainable.
Sustainability Scholarships: Environmental, Economic and Social
Three awards possible here. Criteria for each from Natural Capitalism: Creating the
Next Industrial Revolution, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins
(1999). In addition to the specific award criteria include project as:
• Technologically feasible
• Operationally viable
• Socially desirable
• Culturally acceptable
• Psychologically nurturing
Environmental Sustainability Team Winners: Silly Willets: A Biodiversity and Restoration Service-Learning Project Focused
on Shoreline Birds in Mosquito Lagoon ($400)
Elissa Ashley, Christina Kontos, Robert Levinthal, Jennifer Manis, Gabriel Nickle, Jennifer Owen and Kari Wesighan
Course: BSC 4312C Marine Biology
Faculty Member: Dr. Linda Walters
Community Partners: Carillon Elementary School and Department of
Biology at UCF
College of Sciences
The purpose of our service-learning project was to spread awareness of ecosystem conservation and its significance to Carillon
Elementary School students. Our presentation consisted of three parts, including a lecture about conservation incorporating
our own research on shoreline birds, a pre- and post-test, and a hands-on activity. Speaking about conservation while
integrating our focus on wading birds and oyster reef restoration, we discussed species survival, biological and genetic
diversity, and the importance of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. This tied into our own research project of whether
wading birds in Mosquito Lagoon prefer natural versus restored oyster reefs, making them our indicator of reef health. Next,
we informed the twenty-five, gifted, fifth grade students about the importance of oysters and their services within the marine
ecosystem. We discussed how oysters filter water and provide essential resources for a diversity of species, including wading
birds.
The students were given a pre-test to examine their general knowledge, and a post-test followed our presentation to measure
academic gains. After our presentation, we conducted a hands-on project in small groups with Carillon students by creating
oyster mats, which are used in our oyster reef restoration project. This experience has benefited our UCF group by providing
us with a chance to spread our knowledge about conservation with children willing to absorb our information. Thus, this
presentation and hands-on activity bestowed the students with greater awareness of conservation and we all provided oyster
mats that will be used in the restoration efforts at Mosquito Lagoon.
Economic Sustainability Team Winners: Knight Owls ($400)
Alicia DiGianvincenzo, Virgil Williams and Amy Yaros
Course: GEB 3031L Cornerstone Lab: Professional Skills for Business
Faculty Member: Christopher Leo
Community Partner: Devereux Florida
College of Business Administration
Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most underserved and vulnerable
members of our communities. They serve more than 1,300 children and families a week in over 50 programs that meet the
behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and child welfare needs in our community. Unfortunately, many of
their programs rely only on the community support and donations because there is not enough money and they cannot do it
alone.
Our group will be raising money towards the Children’s Benefit Fund that allows the children to attend summer camps and
alleviate expenses for their after school activities. We would like to exceed our client’s expectations not only by making our target
donation, but also by raising awareness and educating people about the organization and specifically the children and families in
need in our community. We are planning to raise $1000 in donations for the Children’s Benefit fund to help children attend
summer camps and after-school programs sponsored by Devereux Florida.
We made the organization more efficient by raising awareness and educating the community (family, friends, coworkers and
companies) about all the services and lives they touch every day. As of April 4, 2012, we have raised $1631 and beat our goal.
Each member of our group was given the opportunity to be a project manager of one of the tasks and lead. We used the
GroupTable website for our main means of communication, and it helped us to stay on top of things. We all worked as a team to
come up with our SMART goal and the assigned tasks throughout the semester.
Social Sustainability Team Winners: Arden Court Jesters ($400)
Brett Jeremy Cail, Madeline Hall and Justin Leblanc
Course: SPA 6417 Cognitive/Communicative Disorders
Faculty Member: Dr. Anthony Kong
Community Partner: Arden Courts Retirement Community
College of Health & Public Affairs
For our service-learning project, we provided a multi-modal quiz based activity to stimulate language and memory in a group of
10 to 15 (attendance varied) individuals with dementia/memory impairments. Our approach was based on evidence that by
providing multiple types of input for dementia patients, it is possible to stimulate memory by using relatively spared cognitive
abilities by presenting pictures (visuo-spatial), music (auditory), and movie clips (auditory and visuo-spatial). We also based our
work on evidence that using a multiple choice format would reduce the load on the memory-based aspects of cognition.
Manipulation of topic selection was an additional technique that provided opportunities for reminiscence, which is an established
technique for stimulating conversation and maintaining memory skills.
Our presentation was a Jeopardy-type quiz game that used Powerpoint to allow questions to be displayed alongside answer
choices, pictures, music, and videos. One of the presenters navigated through the Powerpoint program while two others elicited
discussion of the questions and allowed participants time to comment and reminisce by telling stories related to the question
topics.
Youth Development Scholarship ($400)
As noted on the Center for Youth Development & Policy Research, the award recognizes a project that focuses on "...the
ongoing growth process in which all youth are engaged in attempting to (1) meet their basic personal and social needs to be
safe, feel cared for, be valued, be useful, and be spiritually grounded, and (2) to build skills and competencies that allow them
to function and contribute in their daily lives." (Pittman, 1993, p. 8) http://cyd.aed.org/whatis.html.
Emilie Finney
Course: ART 5949 Cooperative Education in Art
Faculty Members: Terry Thaxton, Dr. Sheri Dressler, and Katie Snyder
Community Partner: Passport Charter School
College of Arts & Humanities
This project was as a result of ArtsBridge, a program that matches college students from various creative disciplines to schools
in the surrounding community searching for a creative approach to a project. The objective of the internship was for the
college student to teach this class incorporating concepts from his or her discipline with the goal of an end project completed
by the class.
I was paired with Passport Charter School’s seventh grade Language Arts class. Throughout the semester I taught literary,
visual art and design concepts, as well as how to use Microsoft Office programs. We created a periodical titled “7 th Grade
News about Panther Pride” and the students collaborated to bring one issue to life. The students broke into groups in charge
of writing articles, creating the artwork for the periodical, and organizing the periodical.
Throughout the semester the students honed their creative writing skills and also learned about visual concepts they would
otherwise have not learned. My specific goal was to help the students develop into independent writers enabling them to
write well with few mistakes completely on their own. My hope was to empower these students; make them confident in
their skills as writers. Upon reflection of my specific approach, I think that not only did I teach these students, they taught me.
I learned much throughout the project and saw areas I could improve. I received positive feedback from my supervising
teacher and positive support from the students. The project proved meaningful to us all.
Peer Choice Scholarship ($400)
Student choice scholarship based on overall excellence of project and presentation.
Team Winners: The Drama Chefs
Amanda Hill and Brandon Yagel
Course: THE 6756 Methods of Teaching Drama
Faculty Member: Sybil St. Claire
Community Partner: Orlando Repertory Theatre and Orlando
Rescue Mission
College of Arts & Humanities
The Orlando Union Rescue Mission (OURM) is a homeless service provider which has served Orlando’s hungry and homeless
for over sixty years. The community houses men, women, and families from all walks of life, affording them the opportunity to
reestablish their lives. Our work targeted youth living at OURM between the ages of eleven and fifteen, giving us fifteen
regular attendees at our residencies. Our residencies were encouraged by our Methods of Teaching Drama class. Here we
were emboldened to find, understand, and gain confidence in our roles as facilitator and participant of drama education by
working with community partners and exploring various source material for lesson activities.
Our consecutive residencies centered were titled “The Recipe of Me” and “The Recipe of Us,” respectively. In the first
residency we focused on encouraging artistic expression, building confidence, and building computer skills by working with
the students to write a recipe of themselves, record an engaging voice-over, and create a digital story. The subsequent
residency focused on the combination of the previously created recipes, thereby creating a Recipe of Us, using the voices of all
the students. In this residency we focused on building trust and community by encouraging students to participate in theatre
games and activities resulting in common goals, creating tableaux scenes, and creating a group movement piece. At the end of
the second residency, we invited the OURM community to join us for a celebration of our students’ accomplishments, and
about 100 community members came to celebrate.
College of Arts & Humanities ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Winner: Elizabeth Baez
Course: GRA 3112C Intermediate Graphic Design II
Faculty Member: Dr. Joo Kim
Community Partner: Young Women’s Leadership Program
College of Arts & Humanities
I focused my project on the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP). The Young Women Leader Program is a non-profit organization
that needs as much support as they can to continue making a change in these girls lives. This mentoring program is sponsored by the
UCF Women's Studies Program. YWLP gives middle school girls an opportunity to pair up with collegiate women. YWLP gives us the
opportunity to mold our young women today into independent and extraordinary leaders of tomorrow.
Where do I come in? During this project I had to treat YWLP as a real client versus looking at them as just another class assignment. I
used my skills and knowledge to produce a brand for YWLP. I wanted my design to help the Program get better known so they can gain
better funding in years to come. In my Intermediate Graphic Design class; I made an entire look for YWLP, by creating a whole identity
system for them. By doing this project I was able to be involved a little more in my community. It help gain real world experience,
increase my communication skills, and most importantly it made me feel like I was finally part of something bigger than myself.
The Burnett Honors College ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Panda Pride-ACE Team Shingle Creek
Kristen Howell, Bradley Keena, Alexis Kimmel, Amelia Klug, Sabrina Restrepo, Michael Thomas and Alexis Wansac
Course: LDR 3950 LEAD Scholars Capstone
Faculty Member: Kelly Astro
Community Partner: Shingle Creek Elementary, The Burnett Honors College and Orange County Public Schools
Interdisciplinary Studies
Each year, the Honors college brings 500 Fifth Grade students to the University of Central Florida campus through a program known
as ACE Day – or Achieve a College Education Day. This event has the ultimate goal of inspiring these kids – all of whom are from
underserved communities to want to one day attend college themselves – to show them that the dream is real and it is
accomplishable.
Our LEAD group went to Shingle Creek Elementary to help facilitate this experience, informing them of ACE Day prior to the event
and building excitement for the day. On the day of the event, we rode the bus over from the school to UCF to ensure a smooth ride.
We all also participated in ACE Day – leading Shingle Creek students around the campus and exposing them to different elements
of UCF. We met the LEAD mission through engineering this project without help, taking charge of it and making sure that it was
accomplished without failure.
College of Business Administration ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
The White Knights
Ronald Coates, Alayna Jackson, Brian Rust, Michelle Rymer, Bryan Shearon and James Sheets
Course: GEB 3031L Cornerstone La: Professional Skills for Business
Faculty Members: Ryan Wilcox and Emily Gay
Community Partners: Junior Achievement of Central Florida
and Dommerich Elementary School
College of Business Administration
Our service-learning project involved us partnering with Junior Achievement to reach out and support a local school. In order to help
Dommerich Elementary, we worked in the classroom and in the community to raise funds and educate the children. Teaching 8 total
classes with 5 lessons a piece, we covered the importance of community, family and an education. In addition to teaching the
children important life lessons, we also took on the task of raising funds for the school’s PE department. We held various fundraising
activities within Dommerich’s school district and raised over $1000 for the school. Our funds were given to the PE department to
assist with the costs of having a field day for grades 1-5. We then worked in sync with the coaches and field day planners to create
and help run the activities at the event.
Throughout the service-learning project, we got to interact with families, school faculty, and the children to benefit the entire
community. Accomplishing our goals was a huge success but we benefitted more from the interaction with our classes. The greatest
form of return we received was through our lessons and being able to bring a healthy active lifestyle to the kids. So many kids are not
getting the proper activity to perform well and are becoming unhealthy as a result and our project succeeded in addressing these
issues.
College of Education ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
The Experience of Environment and Education (E –3) Project
Sebastian Church
Course: EDG 4948 Service-Learning
Faculty Member: Dr. Deborah Becker
Community Partner: Orange County Public Schools, University High School, Timber Creek High School
College of Education
The missions of The Experience of Environment and Education (E-3) Project are (1) to expose university students to pedagogy
through authentic teaching experiences; and (2) to expose elementary/secondary school students to environmental science
through problem solving. Without any budget or financial resources, all lesson plans and curriculum materials of The E-3
Project are original. University students perform service-learning as Instructors, teaching each class in Instructor Pairs. Students
in each class join in groups to work on Initiative Proposals throughout the experience, which are projects that can be
implemented to make their schools more sustainable.
During the Fall 2011 semester, 5 UCF students taught lessons on Waste in 1 AP Environmental Science and 1 Integrated Science
class at University High School. After this experience, Sebastian Church was honored as University HS’s volunteer of the year.
The E-3 Project was asked to return for another set of lessons, and each university student who participated in Fall 2011
returned to participate in Spring 2012. During the Spring 2012 semester, 8 UCF students taught lessons on Energy in 4 high
school AP Environmental Science classes at 2 high schools (University HS and Timber Creek HS) . The classes are ongoing, and
presentations of Initiative Proposals will occur during the week of April 16. The Orlando Science Center has provided admission
tickets as incentives for students working on Initiative Proposals and administrators will be in attendance on presentation day
to evaluate the viability of Initiative Proposals.
College of Graduate Studies ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Team Winners: iCan Communicate: Team SL Peeps
Joline Alexander, Randi Baumgartner, Andrea Barina, Sarah Brickner, Christina Burton, Kelly Carroll, Anastasia Creasy, Brittany
Gonick, Caitlin Hagenbaumer, Melanie Margolies, Michele Matthews, Rachel Nagel, Lacey Timmons, Lauren Varnadore and Ana
Zunga
Course: SPA 6559 Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Faculty Member: Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh
Community Partner: The Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and the Florida Alliance Assistive Services and
Technology (FAAST) Center
College of Health & Public Affairs
Our team partnered with the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida to plan and implement the iCan Communicate program. This
semester, the foundation donated iPads with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) “app” that we selected and
programmed for each individual child.
We first administered standardized assessment tools to gather data regarding each child’s language, speech, and other areas of
development that would provide insights into how they might use an app for functional communication. We then researched and
participated in training sessions for various apps with our clients’ individual needs and skills in mind. Once we had narrowed down
the field of viable options for our assigned client, we conducted two supervised therapy sessions in which we tried out each
carefully selected app with the client and their caregivers. This allowed us to reach a decision as to which app would be best able
to meet communicative needs of each client. The last day of the iCan Communicate program allowed the children and their
families to practice use of their new, individually programmed app in several spring themed activities.
Through the iCan Communicate program, our knowledge of individuals with complex communication needs was demonstrated in
an applied manner. We synthesized this knowledge with relevant research to provide evidence-based assessment and intervention
for the participating families. The outcome made a lasting impression on all involved. Many parents watched their children
communicate effectively and with significantly less frustration for the first time.
College of Health & Public Affairs ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Pathfinders: Helping others discover their path through service
Carole Becker and Hiram Matos
Course: PAD 3930 American Humanics Human Service Workshop
Faculty Member: Dr. Stephanie Krick
Community Partners: Harvest Time International, Community Food and Outreach Center, Run for Her Life 5k, NiceServe, Clean the
World Orlando, Miracle Miles, Orlando VA Community Living Center, Straight Street Orlando, Camp Quest Thunderbird, JDRF Gala,
Habitat Restore, Boys and Girls Club, Pet Rescue by Judy, American Lung Association, Orlando Wetlands Park, Orlando Day
Nursery, Christian Service Center, Boys Town, Give Kids the World, and Heart of Orlando United Way
Through these tough economic times, the need for nonprofit agencies with qualified employees that posses a strong sense of
civic responsibility and leadership is at an all-time high. In this three-semester course, Pathfinders received the skills needed to
develop our own pathways as leaders in the nonprofit sector while giving back to the Central Florida Community.
Beginning in our first semester, we effectively met the needs of those in our community through volunteering at nonprofit
organizations. This service that began as first semester students has continued throughout our enrollment in this course. In our
second semester, Pathfinders continued to serve the needs of our community by creating awareness videos for nonprofit
agencies. This spring, Pathfinders has continued to pave the way to nonprofit success by planning and executing fundraisers to
raise money not only for nonprofit organizations but to also assist UCF students with raising funds to attend a national
conference.
With the ability to create our own path, Pathfinders was able to fulfill all course requirements as well as those required to become
nationally certified in nonprofit management. Through leadership, Pathfinders went above and beyond to help pave the way for
other students. The values learned from this course motivated us to do more for our own community and help others discover
their paths. By planning volunteer opportunities and becoming mentors for those embarking on their journey, we hope to leave
footprints that will assist others in finding a sense of civic responsibility and their own passion for service.
College of Nursing ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
UCF Nursing Students Meeting the Hispanic Need
Ruth Castillo de Guzman and Amanda Oyola
Course: NUR 4637L Public Health Nursing
Faculty Member: Dr. Norma Conner and Erica Hoyt
Community Partner: Hispanic Health initiatives
College of Nursing
Hispanic Health Initiatives (HHI) is a non-profit, volunteer driven, community based program located in Casselberry. Their
overall goal is to address the health needs of medically underserved populations in Central Florida. It is the only Hispanic
health organization in Central Florida specifically targeting the Hispanic community.
UCF College of Nursing has been involved with HHI for several years using various levels of nursing students. The role of UCF
undergraduate nursing students this semester started as volunteer case managers and has grown to educators. We have
witnessed first-hand the value of HHI, and have committed to the organization as nursing partners to continue providing
health education to their volunteers and clients even after the semester is completed.
Through individual case-management, clients’ health statuses are assessed and referrals to community resources are made.
Through health education, we train HHI leaders and volunteers on health topics such as obesity. After being educated, HHI
employees are able to correctly instruct clients on healthy eating habits and physical activity.
As Latino women we have experienced the unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits of our culture. Yet, we bring with us the
scientific bases of nursing to understand the pervasiveness of the problem and recognize our role in intervention in reaching
the Healthy People 2020 objectives.
There is currently discussion on having us remain at HHI to train future nursing students as this service-learning project will
continue in subsequent semesters. Ultimately, UCF nursing students are adding value to Hispanic Health Initiatives and the
community.
College of Sciences ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Team Winners: Silly Willets: A Biodiversity and Restoration Service-Learning Project Focused on Shoreline Birds in Mosquito
Lagoon
Elissa Ashley, Christina Kontos, Robert Levinthal, Jennifer Manis, Gabriel Nickle, Jennifer Owen and Kari Wesighan
Course: BSC 4312C Marine Biology
Faculty Member: Dr. Linda Walters
Community Partners: Carillon Elementary School and Department of
Biology at UCF
College of Sciences
The purpose of our service-learning project was to spread awareness of ecosystem conservation and its significance to Carillon
Elementary School students. Our presentation consisted of three parts, including a lecture about conservation incorporating
our own research on shoreline birds, a pre- and post-test, and a hands-on activity. Speaking about conservation while
integrating our focus on wading birds and oyster reef restoration, we discussed species survival, biological and genetic
diversity, and the importance of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. This tied into our own research project of whether
wading birds in Mosquito Lagoon prefer natural versus restored oyster reefs, making them our indicator of reef health. Next,
we informed the twenty-five, gifted, fifth grade students about the importance of oysters and their services within the marine
ecosystem. We discussed how oysters filter water and provide essential resources for a diversity of species, including wading
birds.
The students were given a pre-test to examine their general knowledge, and a post-test followed our presentation to measure
academic gains. After our presentation, we conducted a hands-on project in small groups with Carillon students by creating
oyster mats, which are used in our oyster reef restoration project. This experience has benefited our UCF group by providing
us with a chance to spread our knowledge about conservation with children willing to absorb our information. Thus, this
presentation and hands-on activity bestowed the students with greater awareness of conservation and we all provided oyster
mats that will be used in the restoration efforts at Mosquito Lagoon.
Interdisciplinary Studies ($500)
Recognition of excellence awarded to one project
Team Winners: Lake Weston ACE
Rachel Behr, Gianna Cifredo, Katarina Dos Santos, Oluwafunlola Falade, Amelia Mackarey, Jessica Slevin and Kristen Wiley
Course: LDR 3950 LEAD Scholars Capstone
Faculty Member: Kelly Astro
Community Partner: Lake Weston Elementary School
Interdisciplinary Studies
As a group, we worked with Lake Weston Elementary as partners for Achieve a College Education (ACE) Day, where roughly 500
local fifth graders came to UCF to see what college is like. Lake Weston is a Title I school, and 95% of the students receive free
or reduced lunch. These students are at risk of dropping out of school early and we wanted to encourage the students to focus
on their future by showing them what is possible.
After doing our research, we created a Powerpoint presentation and visited Lake Weston Elementary. We described the basic
structure of the university and all of the things they can do in college, and got them excited for visiting UCF on March 19th. This
connects to our course objectives to “think critically, perform in-depth research, and make interdisciplinary connections
between leadership and other courses of study” and “speak in public and give compelling, persuasive presentations.”
We also volunteered at ACE day with the Lake Weston students. One of our group members was the bus captain, and she went
to Lake Weston and rode with them on the bus to UCF. As ACE volunteers, we all had to be engaging, as well as solving
problems quickly and dealing with them effectively as they arose. This corresponded well to our course objective to “articulate
personal leadership philosophy or style involved in solving problems on campus and in the community.”
The Experiential Learning Scholarship & Award ($1000)
Best overall in project excellence and outstanding commitment to service-learning at UCF.
Team Winners: Silly Willets: A Biodiversity and Restoration Service-Learning Project Focused on Shoreline Birds in Mosquito
Lagoon
Elissa Ashley, Christina Kontos, Robert Levinthal, Jennifer Manis, Gabriel Nickle, Jennifer Owen and Kari Wesighan
Course: BSC 4312C Marine Biology
Faculty Member: Dr. Linda Walters
Community Partners: Carillon Elementary School and Department of
Biology at UCF
College of Sciences
The purpose of our service-learning project was to spread awareness of ecosystem conservation and its significance to Carillon
Elementary School students. Our presentation consisted of three parts, including a lecture about conservation incorporating
our own research on shoreline birds, a pre- and post-test, and a hands-on activity. Speaking about conservation while
integrating our focus on wading birds and oyster reef restoration, we discussed species survival, biological and genetic
diversity, and the importance of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. This tied into our own research project of whether
wading birds in Mosquito Lagoon prefer natural versus restored oyster reefs, making them our indicator of reef health. Next,
we informed the twenty-five, gifted, fifth grade students about the importance of oysters and their services within the marine
ecosystem. We discussed how oysters filter water and provide essential resources for a diversity of species, including wading
birds.
The students were given a pre-test to examine their general knowledge, and a post-test followed our presentation to measure
academic gains. After our presentation, we conducted a hands-on project in small groups with Carillon students by creating
oyster mats, which are used in our oyster reef restoration project. This experience has benefited our UCF group by providing
us with a chance to spread our knowledge about conservation with children willing to absorb our information. Thus, this
presentation and hands-on activity bestowed the students with greater awareness of conservation and we all provided oyster
mats that will be used in the restoration efforts at Mosquito Lagoon.
Many thanks to all who have
participated in Service-Learning
Student Showcases at UCF.
For more information about this
event please contact the
Office of Experiential Learning at UCF.
407-823-2667 or Amy.Zeh@ucf.edu