nuSERVES kicks off fall semester with community service by Joe O'Connell September 7, 2015 Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Being a student at Northeastern University means being a citizen of the city of Boston. And last week dozens of new students—both incoming freshmen and transfers alike—gave back to their new home community. Through the nuSERVES program, organized by Northeastern’s Center for Community Service, students explore the areas surrounding campus through service projects focused on meeting the needs of neighborhoods, residents, and organizations. A record number of new students participated in nuSERVES this year—volunteering in the community even before taking their first class. Students spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at eight different locations in Boston neighborhoods completing service projects, including landscaping, preparing meals, and spending time with the elderly. “That just demonstrates the interest and passion of the new students wanting to give back to the community and get involved,” said Cassie Moreno, AMD’18, the program coordinator. We asked some of those students to reflect on their nuSERVES experiences: Students with nuSERVES visit with residents of the Susan S. Bailis Assisted Living Community on Friday. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University “When you do community service you know you are making a difference and that’s really powerful,” said Lisa Xiao, DMSB’19, who was weeding a garden in the Southwest Corridor. President of the Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy Franco Campanello and Olivia Kalpakis, DMSB’19, clear a section of a park on Friday. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University “I couldn’t wait to get here to be honest,” said Elizabeth Hunt, DMSB’19, as she swept the Southwest Corridor walkways. “I volunteered with Halos for Angels when I was in high school, and it was really important for me to be able to start the school year this way.” “It’s a good idea to get involved in your first few days because everyone says the more you get involved the better your college experience will be,” noted Parth Shah, DMSB’19. “And this is a great way to meet people who have similar interests as you.” Taylor Smith, S’19, helps clean up a garden in the Southwest Corridor as part of nuSERVES on Friday. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University “On Thursday we went to Cradles to Crayons, which provides things like clothes, schools supplies, and toys for children, and we sorted through donations the organization had received to make sure they met its standards,” said Stephanie Zatwarnicki, BHS’19. “And at the end of the day we learned we had helped about 900 children.”