Service Learning

Tackle real-life issues in your community

Want to learn more than is possible within the four walls of a classroom? Ready to take on projects that prepare you for the future while you help others today?

In the School of Human Sciences, our service learning opportunities allow you to apply course content to community-based activities — providing the valuable, real-life experience you won’t find in a lecture hall or textbook. You’ll be guided by faculty who care about your success and will help you make the most of your efforts. Learning by doing will give you a step ahead on the path toward your career with skills that give you a competitive advantage.

Here are just a few of the service learning experiences that students have been involved in:

• Whether they’re in the kitchen, planning menus or serving customers, working at the Culinary Café Lumberjack Express lets hospitality administration students sample what running a restaurant or food truck is really like.
• Hospitality administration students also regularly join forces with the City of Nacogdoches' Main Street program, assisting with various downtown events. From Wine Swirl and the Taste of Nacogdoches to the Texas Blueberry and city film festivals, students sharpen their event-planning skills while gaining important exposure to the challenges they’ll face as professionals. 
• When the new owners of the historic Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches wanted to create a look that would appeal to guests of all ages, they turned to SFA interior design majors for help. Working in teams, students helped design the front lobby, Nine Flags bar, gift shop, outdoor areas, hotel rooms and other spaces.
• Members of SFA’s Jacks Council on Family Relations collected donations for the Rainbow Room, a 24/7 resource center within the Child Protective Services offices. The items, including blankets, toys and books, are used by CPS caseworkers helping children whose lives are in crisis.