Melissa Brosius vounteers in India as part of York College course

2012 Feb 7

Melissa Brosius of Rebuck, a sophomore nursing major at York College of Pennsylvania, traveled to India during semester break to volunteer at orphanages as part of a geography course.

The course, "Making a Difference in a Globalizing World," is two courses taken consecutively for three credits (one credit in the fall and two credits in the spring). The fall course integrates academic perspectives on how to make a positive difference in a globalizing world with the experience of doing local and international service work. Students then travel to India between semesters to volunteer at orphanages run by HOINA (Home of the Indian Nation). Daily activities there included teaching English to staff and students, helping prepare food, painting/whitewashing, and playing with the children. The class then meets again during the spring semester, when students are asked to think critically about their travel experiences and to analyze how individuals or groups can make positive differences in an increasingly globalized world.

Located in southcentral Pennsylvania, York College offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities to its 4,600 undergraduate students. The College also offers master's programs in business, education and nursing, and a doctorate in nursing practice. A center of affordable academic excellence, York is dedicated to the intellectual, professional and social growth of its students. The College helps them develop a concrete plan to attain academic growth and career success; encourages them to try in the "real world" what they learn in the classroom; and prepares them to be professionals in whatever career they pursue.