UMO Honors Students Hope to Make a Change, One Colorful Bracelet at the Time
UMO Honors Students Hope to Make a Change, One Colorful Bracelet at the Time
MOUNT OLIVE- One sophomore Honors class at the University of Mount Olive (UMO) is striving to make a difference around the globe with their community service project. Under the direction of professor David Bourgeois, the class has their sights set on selling 400 Pulsera bracelets with the proceeds of the sales going to help create sustainable jobs, empower Nicaraguan communities, and provide engaging educational programs both in the U.S. and in Nicaragua.
The purpose of the Honors Program is to facilitate students’ development of a sense of the unity of knowledge implicit in a liberal arts education and a scholarly and collaborative community. The Honors Program offers students additional opportunities for collaboration and the development of a sense of community through seminars, forums and collaborative projects.
Bourgeois’Honors students decided to partner with the Pulsera Project for this year’s community project. The Pulsera Project is a unique partnership between Nicaraguan artists and U.S. students, which enriches many lives in the U.S. and Nicaragua through the sale of colorful, hand-woven bracelets. The bracelets are one-of-a-kind, wearable works of art. They represent in many ways the idea that, despite economic or social differences, people are people, and everyone has something to share on the journey toward making the world a more equal, hopeful, and colorful place.
“You always wonder if the service you do will actually make a difference and influence lives,” noted Honors student Mary Jones. “Through the Pulsera Project, we were able to immerse almost the entire campus in color to shed light on the poverty stricken families of Nicaragua and Guatemala.”
Anna Mitchell added, “It can be easy to take for granted everything we have here at UMO. We go to class, we participate in activities, but the reality is that this is just one town, in one country. Participating in the Pulsera Project opened our eyes to the world around us.”
Bourgeois is proud of the work that his class has done so far and is excited to see if they can reach the goal of selling 400 bracelets by the end of the semester.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my students! They researched and chose an Honor’s service project that exemplifies our UMO covenant. From the beginning of our class, I have been asking them this question: are you ‘serving’ or ‘demanding to be served?’ They have taken on a huge task and have worked together as a team to accomplish a goal of raising funds to benefit the lives of others,” said Bourgeois.
For more information on how to buy a Pulsera bracelet, please contact Davis Bourgeois at DBourgeois@umo.edu.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit old.umo.edu.
Pictured: Far left is David Bourgeois with his sophomore Honors class at the University of Mount Olive. The class is selling Pulsera bracelets to change lives is Nicaragua.