With Texas A&M International University home to over 50 student organizations, there are a handful of organizations that currently stand above the rest.
A recently implemented policy now makes it mandatory for every organization to complete community service hours. The Psychology Club and Psi Chi are just two that lead the pack with over 70 community service hours respectively.
The Psychology Club community service achievements include everything from assisting with the TAMIU’s Student Counseling Services TLC talks, TAMIU’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, Bethany House of Laredo, TAMIU’s Haunted House, Sacred Heart Children’s Home, and to Walk to Defeat ALS.
According to Psychology Club president, Cynthia Gallardo, they are driven to make a positive impact. “To Psychology Club assisting in the community means taking the time to help our beautiful city and university. It means providing assistance to those that are less fortunate and striving to make a positive influence in someone’s lives. We are proud to serve our community and we enjoy contributing and volunteering at different places in Laredo. The TAMIU Psychology Club is here to make a positive difference!”
Meanwhile, Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, also receives top honors for exceeding community service performance.
According to Psi Chi president, Mary Sosa, Psi Chi has developed several community projects geared towards assisting the elderly. Initiatives include, Project SMILE (Students Making an Initiative to Laredo’s Elderly), Food Bank’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and assisting the City Health and Human Service with various events.
Sosa maintains that the connections made in the volunteer arena, motivates organizational involvement. “Two of the key motivations for Psi Chi’s involvement is having fun in the process and establishing profound connections with both the people we volunteer with and volunteer for. For students to be willing to wake up at 8:00am on a Saturday morning really shows the intrinsic motivation behind our dedicated volunteers,” says Sosa.
Often times psychology students from various classes will join Psi Chi endeavors and Sosa encourages this involvement. “Giving our time and service to the community is the central focus of our organization. We are determined to use the resources accessible to us as an organization to recruit other students to join us in our efforts,” explains Sosa.
While both organizations look forward to expanding their community service initiatives, their goals for the New Year are ground-breakingly simple, to … establish a bridge across generations in volunteering for the elderly, something rarely seen.
Also receiving recognition for community service are the following active organizations: STAR Club, Kappa Delta Chi, and Sigma Nu Delta.
For more information on student organizations, visit the Student Activities web page.