This story is featured in the Fall 2018 edition of the HPU Magazine. Discover below how HPU Dr. Cara Kozma extends her classroom into the community.
Three afternoons a week they come to practice reading and writing. There’s a snack and story time. There are plenty of ways to use their imagination, too, like designing a superhero or puppet show.
For the children, the Community Writing Center is a place to get help with their homework from friendly faces and to be creative.
For the HPU students working with them, it’s an off-campus extension of their on-campus classroom. It’s a chance to connect their learning with the real world.
This is what Dr. Cara Kozma envisioned for the Community Writing Center. An associate professor of English and assistant director of service learning, Kozma teaches students through community involvement. She also equips others to teach from this perspective.
Before college, Kozma was disengaged from her education, memorizing just enough to pass a test. Then she took a class that involved her in innovative projects in the community. Her purpose changed.
“When my coursework became connected to issues within the local community, I became an energized, motivated student, and for the first time I was able to understand the relevance of my studies to the real world,” she says. “I credit these experiences for my desire to obtain a doctorate and to teach using an experiential approach.”
Since arriving at HPU in 2010, Kozma has involved hundreds of students in service-learning courses with a community focus.
She opened the Community Writing Center alongside fellow English professor Charmaine Cadeau. In partnership with Mount Zion Baptist Church, it provides educational support, physical activity, nutritious food and mentorship to children in grades 4-7. Students enrolled in service-learning classes staff the center, along with HPU’s Bonner Leaders and AmeriCorps VISTAs.
For Kozma, the elements of service and leadership embedded in these classes inspire students to be more deeply involved in what they are learning and with the people around them. The outcome is several creative projects that have given a revived voice to the Washington Street community.
Kozma and her students created a book of co-written community texts titled, “Remembering Washington Street: Memories from a High Point Neighborhood.” They also created sidewalk markers that identify people and sites in the community’s history.
“This project was so inspiring because I felt that students were meeting a real community desire to document important landmarks, events and people,” says Kozma. “Community members trusted us to do the project well because they know the high-quality work HPU students are capable of.”
The project was meaningful for Helen Barker, too. The 2018 graduate wrote a chapter for Kozma’s class and then edited the full book during an independent study. She aspires to lead a career in medicine, but first, she is serving the city of High Point as a VISTA thanks to Kozma’s recommendation.
“Working on this project taught me so much about writing and about myself,” says Barker. “Dr. Kozma’s dedication taught me how to take risks and give 110 percent. She showed me what it means to dedicate your time to others.”
Kozma wants as many students as possible to have high-quality service learning opportunities, at HPU and beyond.
She has trained 63 faculty members at HPU to design their own courses. As an Engaged Faculty Scholar with N.C. Campus Compact, she conducted research on teaching methods and helped other universities with service learning.
“It’s about modeling engaged learning and a commitment to giving back to the community,” she says. “We must support students in pursuing ideas and projects that allow them to develop skills while also feeling excitement and passion toward their work.”