First-Year Students! Begin Discovering Your Path Here At Hofstra With the Discovery Program!

Summer is here and that means it is time to start planning the Discovery Program for the Class of 2016! We anticipate this year's Discovery class to be the biggest yet and we are hard at work implementing new initiatives.While a brochure was sent to each first-year student, myself and Discovery Graduate Coordinator Calla Hales attend the Parent and Family Orientation lunch as well as the Student Orientation involvement fair every week where students and their families can learn more about the program and ask any questions they may have. All information can also be found on the Discovery Program website.

Discovery students painting a local elementary school playground

For those who are not familiar, the Discovery Program is a program just for first year students that allows them to arrive to campus five days before Welcome Week to do community service. The students are able to work with many different non-profit organizations including (but not limited to) homeless shelters, soup kitchens, local elementary schools, local civic associations, environmental agencies, and this year we are even volunteering with Habitat for Humanity! Besides students having the opportunity to give back to Hofstra's local community, it is a great way for first-year students to get acclimated to college life with a much smaller group of students with the guidance of an upperclassmen mentor, also known as our Discovery Leaders. The Discovery Program is a wonderful opportunity for students to hit the ground running, get involved early and make life-long friendships. Our past Discovery participants have excelled while here at Hofstra and are some of our best student leaders on campus. One participant described his experience last year. "[The Discovery Program] was absolutely heartwarming and life changing, thank you greatly!"

Discovery Class of 2011

The biggest change for this year is the revampment of the Discovery Program paths. Each participant chooses which path of service they would like to embark on during the program. The Compassion path has been changed to Community Empowerment, the Sustainability path has been changed to Sustainable Solutions, and we have added a brand new path this year called Social Awareness. Community Empowerment teaches students the importance of helping others and working to empower communities in need. Sustainable Solutions focuses on working with organizations that help encourage sustainability and educate students about environmentally sound practices. Lastly, Social Awareness works with organizations that promote social justice and activism, learning the best way to help your global community is to help your local community. Each path features different service projects each day allowing time in the evening and on the last day of the program for students to share their different experiences.