College brings about a lot of changes and challenges, and one of the hardest things when coming to college is settling into the fact that you’ll have to budget your time. Between schoolwork, friends, and clubs, it was hard for me to find time to volunteer, something I really enjoy doing. A peer and good friend of mine had the same struggles, but then she found Linking Immigrants to New Communities or LINC, a service organization through the Campus Y that she meets with twice a week to meet. Together they teach English to adult immigrants living in the Carrboro-area.
The organization was founded in the fall of 2009 by UNC graduates Marleny Ruiz ’10 and Jakelin Bonilla ’12. According to the LINC page on UNC Campus Y’s website, the club “helps ease the transition of recent immigrants to the United States through student interaction and raising awareness in the community.” The organization emphasizes working with the community as opposed to for the community.
If you’re looking for a service organization at UNC but haven’t found your niche yet, give LINC a try! Let us know in the comments what some of your favorite UNC organizations are, service-oriented or not!