海角社区

ECP Service Dossier Spotlight Series:
Hunter Deshotel, Spring 2025

 

Engaged Citizen Information

Codename: #WinningWithSociology

Hometown: Indian Bayou, La.

Major: Sociology (Honors)

Profile: Explorer of sociology through service; LASAL Scholar; various service experiences

Service-Learning Credits: Nine

Approx. Hours Completed: 105

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CCELL: In your own words, what is an Engaged Citizen?

Hunter:  I think we are encouraged in many ways to self-isolate and minimize the degree to which others and the space we exist in contribute to our identity. So, to be a good, engaged citizen first requires an awareness of those facts. In doing so, by getting out and meeting people, I think you take the first step in improving your community and expanding the depth of your life.

C: To earn the Engaged Citizen Program distinction, you must complete seven credit hours of service-learning and 100 volunteer hours (along with a 5-page reflective essay). How do you balance meeting these requirements, especially the 100+ hours of community service, with the other responsibilities in your life?

H: The seven credit hours were pretty easy. It was just joining classes that I already had an interest in, and often I would combine them with the service I was already involved in, so I didn't have to add more to my schedule. I could be efficient with it. The 100 hours over four years were not too big a commitment either. I became more involved in service activities during my sophomore year by joining the Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) program. 

But also, importantly, I became involved with Project 225, the Honors College's service organization. I started participating in their Service Saturday activities and similar events. Over the summers and winters, I had housing since I worked in 海角社区 Residential Life, so I would volunteer at the and the 海角社区 Food Pantry while managing my responsibility to the department. So, I was pretty lucky and worked hard. It's not been that difficult, honestly, to incorporate those things, but I've also been kind of鈥攍ike I said鈥攍ucky. But I was also conscious of not overloading myself academically.

C: How would you describe your learning experience in your classes, and would you recommend service-learning courses to other sociology students?

H: Oh, I definitely would. I did not have the opportunity to take a sociology service-learning course myself, but I am aware that one of our professors, Dr. Danielle Thomas, offers one. She's super involved in Baton Rouge. I had a friend who coached a soccer team of young Hispanic boys as part of one of Dr. Thomas' service-learning optional courses. So, that sounded super cool. 

My service-learning contract option course in the sociology department (SOCL 4462: Sociology of Youth and Crime) was with . I've worked with a lot of kids in Baton Rouge in the neighborhood just north of campus, which I think is neat. They're all lovely. It's interesting to see the way they interact with each other, from a sociological sense of interactionism, and how people navigate their interactions and what they're trying to get out of it.

It also gives you a sense of understanding, both on a structural level鈥攍ike what those kids are going through, in some sense, if you learn a little about them and their family, and also why they're expressing themselves the way they are. So yeah, I think for sociology majors, getting actively engaged can be pretty interesting as an observer.

C: Can you describe a moment during your volunteer work when you felt like you made a significant impact? What made that moment stand out to you?

H: I always think back to my first service-learning course where I was partnered with a little boy named Dylan. That was part of the program, which partners you with kids who are behind in either reading or math, whichever subject you want to tutor. I chose reading.

Dylan, who was in second grade at the time, was super shy. Over the semester, he would eventually warm up, and we would play outside of class. There were some days we wouldn't read if it was clear he wasn鈥檛 engaged or in the mood. We would just play soccer, which was his favorite sport and what he'd play all the time at recess. It helped him perk up, and then I鈥檇 see him go back to class more energized. Having that connection with Dylan was impactful and informed my view of service since.

C: Now that you're a graduating senior, do you feel like if you could start your 海角社区 journey over again, you would still choose to be an Engaged Citizen?

H: It's given me a ton. A lot of my friends have been in the program or the LASAL. So, a lot of the service opportunities I've had have also just been fun, social opportunities because it would be me and my friends doing it together. Especially packing boxes [at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank], we鈥檇 be together for four hours on a weekend. So, more than a feeling of accomplishment and engagement and learning about Baton Rouge, it鈥檚 also been fun getting to meet the kids and also hang out with my friends doing the activities.

C: What would advice would you share with a freshman coming here who has never heard about the Engaged Citizen Program? 

H:  To maximize your experience in this program, you have to abandon the mindset that this will be another line on your resume. You must embed yourself in your volunteering sites and get to know folks. Having that kind of mindset will allow this program to be an opportunity to develop professional and personal relationships; and you can learn much more about how people live in Baton Rouge than if you remain centered around campus. If you want to learn, firsthand, about the people that have lived the longest here and seen the most, then you should join this program.

C: Anything else you'd like to share?

H: I鈥檓 grateful to my mom, dad, and my partner Myrissa! Geaux Tigers!