Every year on Scots in Service National Volunteer Day, students, alumni, family and friends of the College of Wooster from across the country participate in voluntary community service. This year the seventh annual Scots in Service day will be held on Sept. 28.
Emmanuel Sterling ’07 has decided to continue the charitable works he began as a Scot in Service at Wooster in his current residence, New York City. Sterling is involved in a program called City Year, which brings together young adults between the ages of 17 and 24 for a full-time year of community service.
Sterling had originally intended to do one year of community service after college, but he found the work so appealing he signed up for a second. Last year he worked at an elementary school in the South Bronx fine-tuning the skills he would need to contribute to underdeveloped communities. This year he is an office-based service leader in the recruitment department of City Year in New York.
On Sept. 11 Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain participated in “A Nation of Service: The Presidential Candidates Forum,” which was co-hosted by City Year at Columbia University in New York City. Today, there will be a summit including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor David Patterson, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sterling, who is assisting with the events, said, “I’m looking forward to hearing the candidates’ thoughts on national service as well as their plans for what they will do to expand programs like AmeriCorps.”
As a first-year, Sterling was exposed to service within the first few weeks of school. He was part of a team of first-years who went to a local park and spent the day mulching and cleaning up the trails.
After that experience had ended, Sterling was happy to have participated in Scots in Service. He decided he wanted to pursue organizations that allowed him to do work in communities that needed help. “Scots in Service was a day I looked forward to each year and I am happy to live in a city where it is hosted,” Sterling said.
When asked how he got involved in City Year, Sterling explained, “As I completed my senior thesis, I started to hear more and more about programs that gave young adults the opportunity to be the change. I saw City Year as an outlet for giving back and being involved in something greater than myself.”
Sterling’s colleague at City Year Ashley Johnson said, “I serve with City Year because it gives me the opportunity to directly impact the lives of other people. Serving with City Year has enabled me to develop myself as well as the next generation of leaders.”
For any additional information or to get involved with Scots in Service or City Year, contact Emmanuel Sterling (esterling@cityyear.org) or visit www.wooster.edu/Alumni/scotsinservice/default.php or www.cityyear.org.