Davin Michaels '06

Davin Michaels

Davin Michaels '06

Major: English
Hometown: New York, New York

Service Activities:

  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters '02-'06
  • America Reads Student Coordinator and Tutor '03-'06
  • AmeriCorps '04-'05

How did you first get involved with Community Service at Bowdoin?
I was chair of the community service program in high school and it was very important for me to keep up my service work in college. Most of the work I did in high school involved tutoring children after school. I first got involved in community service at Bowdoin through the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program as a First-Year. Once a week, I would meet with a second grader named Nick. After developing this friendship, I was eager to become more active in working with children, as both a mentor and tutor. I then got involved with the America Reads program, where I was able to spend a great deal of time helping to educate other second graders and develop the same kind of close relationship that I built with Nick. I was able to be a teacher and a friend to these kids thus impacting their personal and academic lives.

What have you gained from your service experiences and working in the community?
The community service that I have had the opportunity to pursue here at Bowdoin has helped me grow as a person. I believe that it is only when we are self-sacrificing that we find our true passions and pleasures as human beings. Most of the work I have done involves tutoring or mentoring and those experiences have sparked in me a strong interest in child psycholo gy, educational and social/economic issues, and a possible career in teaching.

What does it mean to serve the common good?
Serving the Common Good means popping the bubble of your everyday life and becoming a part of the larger community. There is so much learning that goes on outside of the classroom which can be experienced through the dozens of service projects available to us. Serving the Common Good means acknowledging your unique ability to help those who are in need and gaining from this the valuable life experience of making a difference in somebody else's life. Serving the Common Good also means investing in a better future, and through my work with kids, I feel that I have been able to affect both their lives and the lives of others in the community.

Story posted on December 07, 2005

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