On Saturday, February 28th, the KAUST Foundation Year students volunteered with The Project, an event organized by the University of Texas at Austin. The Project partnered volunteers with local residents to complete beautification projects throughout the Austin community.
Although the cold, rainy weather threatened to cancel the event, the KAUST Foundation Year students were still able to volunteer at one of the indoor volunteer sites. The students painted one of the classrooms at ‘El Buen Pastor’, a nonprofit early childhood education center located in East Austin, with the help of other UT student volunteers. The center had a new fresh look by the end of the day and everyone involved left with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with their work.
It was their first time volunteering for many of the KAUST Foundation Year students. Since this experience, the students have been seeking new ways to give back to the local community and continue the ‘spirit of giving’. As these students prepare to enter undergraduate programs next year, these experiences not only help students build new skills which can be added to their resume, but they also provide an opportunity to learn more about the local culture. Many of the students also discovered the joy and appreciation which comes from serving those in your community.