UCLA Volunteer Center keeps campus involved in community projects
By Alex Chen
April 22, 2010 9:59 p.m.
Highlighting the need for service around local communities and abroad, former President Bill Clinton, brought together members of the higher educational system to identify and take actions to help solve global issues areas including education, climate change, human rights and poverty alleviation at the Clinton Global Initiative University.
While the president only met with a few select students from around the country in the days surrounding the event, Clinton made sure to stress that his message applied to all university students around the nation.
But the importance of service is not a new ideal for many students at UCLA.
Along with the many student groups, organizations, fraternities and sororities which participate in community service around Los Angeles, UCLA also helps students connect with projects through the UCLA Volunteer Center.
“There’s not a lot of jobs out there and I think students are starting to realize that they can start spending their summer vacations in a more meaningful way,” said Antoinette Mongelli, the executive director of the UCLA Volunteer Center. Mongelli believes that participation in service will grow in the near future.
Many are already finding meaningful ways of spending their time while at school.
“I’m trying to give back to the community,” said Louis Gonzales, a fifth-year history student and a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity at UCLA. “I hadn’t done much around here the last couple of years I was here.”
