Talking service: Dunne and Oller

Talking service Meghan Dunne said William and Mary students understand the "true components" of service.
Talking service Devin Oller said service at William and Mary starts in the classroom.

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by David Williard | November 17, 2008

Meghan Dunne (’09) and Devin Oller (’09) agree there is something special about the culture of civic engagement at William and Mary. The two seniors recently discussed the service-mentality at their alma mater during videotaping for a University Relations produced video about AIDS Tanzania, a group with which each is involved.

Dunne, the 2008 winner of the President’s Award for Service to the Community and a Sharpe Scholar at the College, claimed that the “true components” of service are recognized by William and Mary students. “Those components are kind of universal in that you can be a citizen on campus in the way that you interact with people and what you choose to study. You can also be a citizen by travelling to Tanzania and doing HIV/AIDS education. ” Whether in Arusha, Tanzania, or at the James Blair Middle School in Williamsburg, it is the commitment to “yourself” and to “other people” that leads to global citizenship and engagement, she said.

Oller, a pre-med student, said, “One of the unique things about service at William and Mary is that it starts in the classroom with professors who really push you to look inward and outward, as well.” He offered the following advice for service organizations housed at the College: “They should be focused not only on how their mission is affecting a global trend but also how that global trend is shaping who they are becoming, as well.”