Exploring Service and Community: Sterling College Students Engage with Peers at the Work Colleges Consortium in Kentucky
Sterling College students visit a greenhouse during a work college visit to Berea College.
This November, four Sterling College students joined two faculty members for a trip to Kentucky to attend a bi-annual Work Colleges Consortium gathering. During the visit they split their time between a visit to Berea College and Alice Lloyd College where they were able to meet students, learn about programs, and enjoyed tours of each school’s campus.
Sterling College is one of ten federally recognized Work Colleges, and a member of the Work Colleges Consortium. Participating institutions are small, private, liberal arts colleges with modest enrollments that range from about 50 to approximately 1,600 students. While each school has unique work program offerings, work-learning-service is a central component of each work college. Student work, coupled with robust academics and a spirit of service, is the common denominator shared by all the work colleges.
Sterling College students present their learning and work experiences during a visit to Berea College.
Connecting with college students from different institutions provides a new perspective for Sterling students. Not only do they get an inside look at the different programs and systems at other colleges, they also participate in service projects that are unique to the local communities in each location. For example, during their visit to Berea College, students toured the crafting studio and program, where they saw exhibits of hand-made brooms, baskets, buggies, and fiber art.
One student noted that “other schools are bigger than we are, but each is so different and the strength of the mission of each school is special” making the Work Colleges Consortium a shared group of special people and places. Experiencing different work assignments in different locations, students become aware of how important the jobs they do are to contributing to and supporting local communities.
Students get a tour of Berea campus, farm and gardens during a trip to Kentucky for a Work College Consortium visit.
Service projects during this trip included assembling hygiene bags for school children in underserved parts of Madison County, cleaning up a community garden in Berea for winter, and a trail work day at Buckhorn Lake – near Alice Lloyd College.
This unique melding of work, learning, and service is where Sterling students’ learning is paramount and their work enhances and supports their individualized educational journeys.
Sutents, faculty and staff pose for a group photo during a Work College Consortium visit in Kentucky.
