English Comp project blends reading, critical thinking, community service

Illinois Valley Community College professor Nora Villarreal’s semester reading assignment is a real page-turner for some students.

A 2024 selection from a campus-wide book discussion inspired Villarreal to launch a community service project in her English Composition class. She believes the project can help students relate what they learn in the classroom to life outside the classroom.

“I knew ‘Parable of the Sower’ was a perfect chance to connect our reading, writing and research to the real world,” Villarreal said. “The 1993 book by Octavia Butler presents a dystopian world whose problems mirror many current issues, such as poverty, hunger, natural disasters, and climate change. In my class, we connect the novel to our academic research and writing by focusing on a need it presents that reflects a need of our local community.”

Students identified and researched a community issue, then went to work in small groups to develop a project to address the need. Ultimately, they folded their experiences into a research paper that advocated for a sustainable solution.

In the last three semesters, 140 students completed projects that paired them with the campus food pantry, animal rescue organizations, and homeless shelters and led them to advocate for suicide prevention, poverty and crime reduction efforts, child welfare issues and student mental health awareness. Projects ranged from volunteering and donating, to compiling resources and creating awareness campaigns.

One group alone raised more than $300 for a local animal shelter; another gathered more than 400 books in a book drive benefiting a child welfare organization. One student crocheted items to donate and invited residents at a care center where she works to contribute too.

Villarreal sees the impact on her students each semester. “Whether the project asked them to break out of their shell, become aware of a community need, or challenged their preconceived notions, students emerge from the experience feeling empowered and inspired, with more faith in their own resilience, skills, and ability to have a positive impact on their world. It has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my career.”

Students who complete the program say they intend to stay involved and aware, and some continue actively volunteering, she said.

One student said the class served as a reminder that “resilience is not just about surviving hard times, but about pushing through with a purpose.”

Another student who thought they had lost their spark for writing discovered a different kind of spark. “I don’t know how to explain it other than this big, happy, fulfilling feeling."

The project helped a third student understand “how our IVCC community has a lot of resources and allows for so many possibilities that I did not know were possible or accessible for all students. It makes me even more glad I decided to go to school here.”

Villarreal was so pleased with her students’ reactions that she has made the book a requirement for the course.

And she is hoping to expand the opportunities for her student volunteers. The next class starts this fall, and she is inviting community groups to contact her with project opportunities.