CEL: A Poem
Written by: Madeline Fisher
Vector created by: pch.vector - www.freepik.com
Hey Western students, are you looking for applicable experience in your field of study?
Are summer internships difficult to obtain, do you find yourself asking “why won’t anyone hire me?”
We have all felt this frustration before, how are we supposed to have relevant experience when no one will take us on?
Well, I’ve got just the recommendation for you, listen up here, before the opportunity is gone!
In Community Engaged Learning, courses are graded on a combination of class content and experiential learning,
You are given a course credit to study a topic you are passionate about, while simultaneously getting hands on experience for that job you have been yearning.
The thought of navigating the real work-life world after undergrad is scary,
But the best part of CEL is, no prior experience is necessary!
Western offers over 30 CEL courses and has more than 300 organization partnerships,
The opportunities are endless to build peer and potential future employer relationships!
Getting involved in the London community is rewarding as it is,
But building on skills like communication, research, and problem-solving will leave you feeling like a professional whiz.
Before I go any further, allow me to tell you a little bit about my own involvement,
A professor recommended a CEL course in the winter semester, so in I placed my enrollment.
Passionate about healthcare and information dissemination,
I was partnered with the organization Bad Science Watch, who actively combat science misinformation.
From here I began collaborating with my peers, performing academic research, and partaking in small group educational convening,
For the first time in my undergraduate experience, I truly felt like what I was working on had real meaning.
My CEL supervisor was a very intelligent individual and our bi-weekly meetings always left me more knowledgeable than before,
My participation in this project has opened my eyes to many other career opportunities and has reminded me how much I have yet to explore.
Your CEL supervisor does not simply dictate what you will work on, it is truly a collaborative revision,
After discussing possible deliverables, it was ultimately my group and I that made the final project decision.
Not only are we gaining experience working for these organizations,
But our community partnerships are benefitting from the creative ideas of our participation.
So, if by now you are considering partaking in CEL and need that final push to commit,
My only piece of advice is, just do it.
Check out more EL Storytelling blogs!
Key Learnings From My CEL Experience
Read Nidhi's blog to learn about the key takeaways from their CEL experience.
Clare's CEL Experience with Participation House
Clare shares her experience in the CEL course, Sociology of Deviance.
Published on
