Courtney Fox, Campus Carrier Staff Reporter

Working at 8:15 a.m. on a Saturday may not sound like fun to the average person, but for Berry freshmen, it is one of the highlights of their first semester. First Year Service Day is a tradition at Berry, and an essential part of the freshman experience.

Junior Olivia Paige, student director of Berry College Volunteer Services, said that this day is significant because it is allows students the opportunity to build community in their BCC classes.

Photos by JoBeth Crump, Assistant Photojournalism Editor Freshmen Krisitanna Saelens and Blythe Trousdell (top) wash a rescue at the animal shelter. Freshman Blythe Trousdell (bottom left) shares a moment with a dog. Freshmen Jordan Hazzard, Jackie McGiveny and Sydney Flemmer (bottom right) towel off their new friend.

 It is “important as a class to all come together as one group and serve the Rome community” said Paige. “It also serves as an introduction to Rome.”

Associate professor of animal science Judy Wilson’s BCC class, who visited Floyd County Animal Control in Rome to work with dogs and cats that were up for adoption, may have had the most fun.

Wilson says she was proud of the work her BCC class put into the day, that they saw it as a service opportunity rather than simply playing with animals for a few hours.

“Each student realized … even if I can only help this dog for two hours, the dog is getting attention,” Wilson said. “They saw the impact they were making.”  

The students bathed and worked on socializing the animals, many of which were strays and had not had much human contact since they had been rescued. The BCC group was determined to provide them with as much positive interaction as possible.

Freshman Kristianna Saelens felt as though she truly made a difference that day.

“I loved just being with the animals and helping give them the love and attention that they deserve,” Saelens said. “Most of them are abandoned or strays, and some of them are flagged breeds, which makes it harder for them to get adopted. There are limited volunteers, so playing with the dogs and giving them baths are hard things to do because of limited time.”

Wilson’s first year mentor, senior Sara Carignan, is amazed by this tradition.

“We manage to get an entire freshman class out of their bed before 8 a.m. on a Saturday to serve a community that many of them have only been living in for two weeks,” Carignan said. “This says a lot to me about the quality of the students that come to Berry. It makes me proud to know these freshmen and also to be a student here myself.”

This day is a great chance for the students to learn about and serve the community around them. Freshman Jacob Hager talked about the significance and impact this has on Berry students.

“I believe this day is important because it gets students out of their comfort zone and thinking about what impact they can have on others,” Hager said. “It’s nice to realize that you are serving others. To me … a large part of becoming an independent person is to put others above yourself.”