
Learn about the STEP UP team
Our student leadership team, STEP UP (Students Together Engaging in & Practicing Ut Prosim) coordinates all VT Engage service trips. Our leaders are passionate about service, social justice, and inspiring change. They work closely with peers, VT Engage, and community partners to coordinate service trips based on community-identified need. Leaders are trained to develop engaging, learning-centered reflections for each trip.
Throughout each service experience and STEP UP meetings, they explore their passion for service and the issues they care about. STEP UP leaders coordinate a range of service programs and have opportunities to take on increasing responsibility as they progress through STEP UP.
Students of any major are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students from incoming first year students to rising seniors are invited to apply, as are graduate students. Applications for the 2018-2019 school year are now closed.
Our programs include:
- Alternative spring breaks: spend spring break immersed in service and learning
- Get on the Bus trips: half- and day-long projects in our region
- Campus Kitchen trips: delivery shifts, diversion shifts in dining halls, cooking shifts, and service trips focused on food insecurity
- International trips to Peru, the Dominican Republic, and a new trip to Cambodia
- Weekend trips: regional experiences focused on social issues
Questions? Contact Jessica Davis, Student Engagement Coordinator at jessid3@vt.edu or 540-231-6947.
Why choose STEP UP?
Our leaders have the unique opportunity to develop their leadership capacities through the lenses of service and social justice. Through hands-on experiences and weekly meetings, STEP UP leaders become more knowledgeable about best practices in community engagement and service-learning.
As they develop reflection facilitation skills, STEP UP leaders learn how to engage in meaningful discussion about complex social issues. STEP UP leaders are trained to cultivate sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships with communities and teach trip participants to do the same.
Leaders are encouraged to venture out of their comfort zone as they learn with and from a team of thoughtful, fun peer leaders. Our goal is to help STEP UP leaders recognize their own capacity to be change agents, then equip them with the knowledge and tools to be engaged citizens both during college and throughout their lives.
Expectations
Leaders are expected to:
- Attend weekly meetings throughout the academic year.
- Deepen their understanding of service, and local and global issues.
- Develop their leadership, reflection, and trip management skills.
- Commit to co-leading or leading VT Engage trips.
- Attend a two-day retreat in August
Engaging, learning-centered curriculum
STEP UP leaders attend weekly meetings focused on developing new skills and building impactful service experiences for their peers. Throughout the program, leaders will be immersed in learning more about best practices for community engagement and trip coordination while taking a critical look at service and social issues.
Our students will have the opportunity to develop as leaders, as well as build their communication and conflict management skills, become trained in facilitating reflection, and learn more about local and global social issues. Additionally, students may choose to earn one credit hour of elective credit each semester they participate in the program.
Each semester, STEP UP leaders will focus on a different set of topics related to service learning and community engagement. The curriculum is designed to build knowledge and expertise as students progress in the program, with goal of developing leaders into mentors for new classes of STEP UP.
Fall: Introduction to service learning
During weekly meetings, new leaders will learn about VT Engage's community engagement philosophy, criticisms of volunteerism, trip logistics, and risk management. They will build skills in leading reflection and developing group dynamics on service trips. Opportunities available to new students include:
- Co-leading Get on the Bus trips (half- and day-long local trips),
- Leading Campus Kitchen trips, and
- Shadowing returning leaders on regional weekend trips.
Spring: Deep dive into issues
This semester will continue to build reflection skills and critically discuss service learning. During weekly meetings, leaders will engage in conversations centered around specific local and global topics including food insecurity, literacy and education access, refugees and immigration, poverty, incarceration, gender and sexuality, and mental health.
- In addition to the same opportunities from fall semester, leaders may lead half-and day-long trips and co-lead weekend trips.
Fall: International service learning
Students will focus on the complexities that service in a global setting brings, and discuss the connections between local and global issues. In addition to opportunities available to year one leaders, students will also have the opportunity to co-lead domestic spring break trips.
- After completing this semester, leaders will be eligible to lead VT Engage international immersion trips to the Dominican Republic and Peru (preference will be given to students who have participated in an international trip with VT Engage previously.)
Spring: Deep dive into issues part II
Leaders will continue to develop and refine skills in reflection facilitation and critical thinking. Weekly meetings will continue to examine local and global issues.
Mentorship & Leadership
Students in year three of STEP UP will continue to develop their leadership competencies while mentoring new leaders in the program. They will partner with VT Engage team members to plan weekly meetings and co-facilitate the meetings.
Throughout the year, they will be paired with new leaders on half-and full-day and weekend trips to assist new leaders with reflection facilitation and trip management.
Reflection
Our leaders are trained to put together thoughtful, quality service experiences for students. One aspect of those experiences includes reflection activities. Reflection allows groups and individuals to process service, social issues, and the questions these experiences bring up. Leaders guide participants through this process using a variety of methods.
Below are reflection guides put together by former SERVE students Analise Adams and Emily Neer. All are welcome to download and use these guides, please credit VT Engage if you do so.
2017-18 Student leaders

Abby England
Geography major from Arlington Virginia

Alayna Bryant
Human Development major from Winchester, Virginia

Allie Parker
Political Science, Pre-Law major from Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Allison Monroe
Architecture major from Ruckerville, Virginia

Amy Chen
Biological Sciences major from Roanoke, Virginia

Asmar Eltayb
Psychology major from Reston, Virginia

Breanna LaTondre
Architecture major from Ellicott City, Maryland

Brooke Souders
Human development major from Winchester, Virginia

Brooke Smith
Human development major from Virginia Beach, Virginia

Bryan Kamenga
Business information technology major from Stafford, Virginia

Cameron Chambers
Geology major from Paso Robles, California

Carl Yao
Computer science major from Fujian, China

Daniele Lewis
Master's student in animal & poultry sciences from Richmond, Virginia

Danielle Kassel
Construction Engineering major from Chesapeake, Virginia

Delaney Beattie
National resources conservation & spanish major from King & Queen, Virginia

Derek Chen
Biochemistry major from Roanoke, Virginia

Franklin Edwards
Neuroscience & psychology double major from Radford, Virginia

Gabby Magasic
Ecomonics major from Shamong, New Jersey

Jacob Benjamin
Computer science major from Marshall, Virginia

Kaley Holloway
Human nutrition, foods, & exercise major from Tazewell, Virginia

Kara Hall
Wildlife conservation major from Rocky River, Ohio

Laura Wichin
Pschology major from Reston, Virginia

Lexy Keeler
Public relations & international relations double major from Winchester, Virginia

Lisa Lane
International relations major from Oak Hill, Virginia

Martha Legg
Civil engineering major from King George, Virginia

Matty Meyer
Biological sciences major from Woodbridge, Virginia

Megan Mickey
Architecture major from Kinnelon, New Jersey

Megha Jassal
Business information technology major from Centreville, Virginia

Meghan Johnson
Human development major from Richmond, Virginia

Michelle Besser
Computational & systems neuroscience major from Hardy, Virginia

Molly Kwitny
Biology major from Roanoke, Virginia

Monica Fikes
Agricultural leadership, & community education major from Alexandria, Virginia

Nick Kaloudis
Building construction major from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Olivia DiMaio
Political science major

Rebecca Pettit
Biological systems engineering major from Elkton, Virginia

Renad Bougis
Biological systems engineering major

Salome Raiszadeh
Biology & psychology major from Hampton, Virginia

Sarah Tartabini
Biochemistry major from Yorktown, Virginia

Shaifali Prajapati
Water: resources, policy, & management major from Yorktown, Virginia

Steph Kapllani
Technical Writing major from Springfield, Virginia

Suzanne Laliberte
Biology for crop and soil environmental sciences major from Barboursville, Virginia

Sydney Winn
Biochemistry major from McLean, Virginia

Tanha Patel
Biochemistry major from Virginia Beach, Virginia

Taylor Schiller
Master's student in higher education major from Charlotte, North Carolina

Tina Malhotra
Business information technology & economics major from Alexandria, Virginia