The Office of Student Life and Civic Engagement will host events Jan. 12-16 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 15. The events will include the Sharks and Service trip volunteering at Casa Valentina in Miami on Jan. 12-14, the MLK Day of Service making gifts and supply kits for Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital, the Broward Humane Society and LifeNet4Families on Jan. 15 and Diversity in Action on Jan. 16, which is a part of the InNOVAtive leadership series hosted by SLCE.
“It’s a humbling experience being able to help people in the outside community, and a lot of students at NSU come from out of state, so it’s a way to kind of connect them again to the south Florida area,” said Emily Konicki, a member of the SLCE team. “It’s something that people and organizations are so humbled to see college students participate in.”
While these events are designed to get Sharks active in the South Florida community, the overarching theme is to recognize the impact MLK has had on the country, and apply his legacy today with civic leadership. The theme of events is to “give where you live,” in order to impact the area around campus. The events will also give students a discussion space to talk about MLK’s beliefs and how they are relevant today.
“MLK day is nationally celebrated, and there’s a reason for that. It’s an important part of our country’s history, and I think the SLCE office is doing all of these things knowing that students should be getting involved in these things,” explained Garrett Horejsi, a graduate assistant for SLCE programs. “They should be getting engaged, civically. These things are all really great opportunities for students to reach outside of the life we’ve built for ourselves on campus.”
The SLCE office is working to ensure they are representative of MLK’s legacy. The service trip, “a day on, not a day off,” described by Horejsi, sets out to help students feel empowered and make an impact, no matter how large or small.
According to the SLCE team, these events are designed to encourage students to apply MLK’s virtues beyond just January. Although MLK Day is only celebrated once a year, SLCE is trying to show students that they can serve their community all year long. Students interested in getting involved can sign up through OrgSync or call the SLCE office at 954-262-7195.
