Exploring God’s World: WAU Seniors Engage in Service-Learning
TAKOMA PARK, Md. — During the Fall 2024 semester, senior Biology and Biochemistry majors at Washington Adventist University (WAU) participated in a Service-Learning project exploring God’s creation’s wonders. The seniors partnered with George E. Peters Adventist School and Atholton Adventist Academy as part of this initiative.
Each week, groups of seniors visited one or both partner schools, leading science experiments for pre-K4 to eighth-grade students. The seniors designed, planned and implemented age-appropriate, hands-on science activities.
The project aimed to provide WAU students with experience communicating scientific concepts to individuals of various ages and experience levels. The initiative offered a dual benefit: WAU seniors developed skills in communication, leadership, time management, teamwork, and teaching, while elementary and middle school students received interactive exposure to biology, chemistry, and physical science.
“The connection between the WAU seniors and the students at G. E. Peters and Atholton is magical,” said Dr. Villanueava the Biology Department chair and project coordinator. “The excitement is contagious, whether it’s floating a needle on water, creating underwater fireworks, or powering LED lights with a vinegar battery.”
The Service-Learning project, established at George E. Peters in 2007 and at Atholton in 2022, continues to impact WAU seniors as they prepare for graduation and future careers.
Student Reflections:
“These experiments taught me that teaching science is about giving kids the chance to study and investigate the concepts for themselves, not just about passing knowledge of facts,” said Dania Charles. “It provided an amazing opportunity to practice communicating difficult concepts in a way that is easy to understand. My confidence in my ability to educate and communicate has increased as a result, and these abilities are certain to be helpful in my future work in healthcare and other fields. My understanding of how to communicate science has grown due to this teaching style, and I’ve come to see that making science understandable is an important skill that goes beyond the classroom.”
“This project increased my understanding of the scientific method and how to simplify hard subjects for younger children,” said Anthony Francis. “I also learned the value of adaptability. Overall, this teaching experience was transformative, helping me to improve my scientific knowledge, communication skills, and confidence. It benefited the children and allowed me to see the positive effects of hands-on science experiments in creating curiosity and critical thinking. This experience will impact my future academic and professional journey.”
“It was a very enlightening experience,” said Catusha Desjardins. “It helped develop my problem-solving skills and group skills.”
“Participating in these activities has been an invaluable experience. While it can be a stressful situation in the moment, those experiences have taught me how to react to circumstances effectively, become more engaging, and open to exploration through the eyes of those around me,” said Vannya Huarca.
“Each step of this unpredictable journey taught me something valuable, lessons I wouldn’t trade for anything else,” said Francisca Kimbembe. “I figured out how to deal with unexpected challenges and stay strong when things got tough, but I didn’t know exactly what to do. Each setback is a chance to grow, showing me just how important it is to try to be flexible and to keep a positive attitude in the fast-paced world that we live in.”
Each week, students also reflected on the spiritual lessons learned through science. Their insights often left the WAU seniors and faculty humbled and blessed, echoing the words, “. . . a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6, KJV).