How Boilers Give Back

    As we have often highlighted on this blog, there are over a thousand clubs and organizations here at Purdue for students to get involved in. Many Boilermakers are involved in volunteering and service activities through these groups or even groups in the greater Lafayette area. In this blog post, we are sharing the stories of how students have been able to serve their community.

Bek - Undergraduate Research Volunteering

Sometimes, volunteering can overlap with other opportunities such as undergraduate research. Undergraduate research is a great way to get involved in research without much experience, and there are various different types of research being conducted by the professors here at Purdue. I am doing research with an orchard nearby campus where I volunteer as part of my research. Volunteer work is important to my research as it involves participant observation. This is also part of building trust and communication between the stakeholders and the researchers. I really enjoy being able to help out in the orchard and see what exactly it takes to run one. Volunteering gives you the knowledge of experience, which you only get by doing. Some fun things I've been able to do are ride the tractor, try lots of apple butter, interact with new people, and really get to know the people I am doing this research with. Getting outside and off campus for a bit is really nice for me because of all of the fresh air and enthusiasm of everyone I meet.

Madison - Purdue Crew

Purdue sport teams and intramural clubs will often host their own volunteering events. Last semester, I volunteered with my team as a member of Purdue Crew. It's not a club centered around community outreach but they do come together a number of times throughout the year to help the Lafayette community. Every year the club does a Hunger Hike to raise money to fund better access to food in the Lafayette area and a Row-a-thon at the Tippecanoe mall to raise money for the Lafayette Urban Ministry. I think it is important to volunteer because access to food is something everyone needs and should have. One fun thing that happened while I was volunteering at the Hike for Hunger is that instructors from a local gym gave a short dance class that everyone could participate in for the event to raise money for local food banks.

Shreya - Minorities in Agricultural, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS)

Professional programs here at Purdue also often host and require their members to participate in volunteering opportunities with the local community. MANRRS is a national society that provides networks to support professional development of minorities. For students, MANRRS provides networking, leadership, and organizational opportunities. A large part of our chapter’s mission is focusing on connecting minorities to various opportunities in agriculture, including community service. We do a lot of events with the local Food Finders food bank in which we aid in donating food as well as helping distribute goods to those in need. I think it is important to volunteer because it gives back to the community that helps to support our organization. My favorite part of volunteering is working together with club members I don’t know super well. I think volunteering can be an easy environment to get to know someone better and it has helped me grow closer to those in my organization.

Mawuli - Organizations Outside of Purdue

Another opportunity for students to get involved in volunteering is through opportunities organized external to Purdue. One of the ways I have gotten involved in community service is through my church off campus. On the first Saturday of every month, members go to a local Food Finders food bank to help stock shelves or run the registers. Every once in a while, we also help out in Indianapolis with a food drive through the church. People in the local and surrounding areas come to receive food and care packages (toiletries or even baby care, household items) put together by volunteers.

⁠I think it’s important to participate in local service because you feel encouraged by the work done in a unified group. One of my favorite parts about volunteering is I get to meet a lot of new people. I have conversations with people who have beaming souls and interesting stories, both in my organization and those we volunteer for.

Lily - Women in Engineering (WiE) Program, Outreach Team

The WiE Program at Purdue University works in recruitment, outreach, and retention of current and future women in engineering. Due to the broad scope of the program, there are various opportunities for volunteering and serving your community. I volunteer with the Outreach Team where current women in engineering visit local elementary and middle schools to introduce engineering concepts through fun activities. I first heard about volunteering with the WiE Program Outreach team through the weekly WiE Program emails and interviewed to become a part of the team.

I think that this is an important cause to volunteer for as it is a wonderful way to engage young students with engineering concepts in the free after-school activities. My introduction to engineering was from activities similar to what the WiE Program Outreach team and so giving back to a program that does just that is extremely rewarding. One of my favorite experiences volunteering was helping a group of students working on an activity together and helping them to make a puzzle so difficult that not even myself or any of the other team members could solve.

Through local and Purdue-affiliated organizations, students can give back to the local community in various ways. Although this blog highlights organized volunteering events, it is just as easy for students to offer their time directly to local organizations like Food Finders Food Bank or Natalie's Second Chance Dog Shelter. However you do it, volunteering and serving your community are rewarding experiences that is vouched for by all the students who shared their own experiences for this blog post.

Lily Brodzinski ChemE ‘25

Recruitment Project Committee

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Purdue Women in Engineering