Winter Helpers

As we all sat in our heated rooms, under our fuzzy blankets with hot cocoa in our hands we still complained about how cold it was outside. I myself am guilty of this.

 

A selfless group of SMU students reminded me that I have it much better than most. During the “icepocalypse” I didn’t have to worry about not being able to find heat and electricity unlike the many Dallas residents who are homeless. Many people don’t even have roofs over their heads and they still have to brave winter storms.

 

A group of students on Friday and Saturday collected over $1500 worth of warm clothing and blankets to take to shelters and people on the streets. Their efforts warmed my heart. They braved the cold and ice to go help those less fortunate and it was truly admirable.

 

I’m glad I got to donate some items to their effort and I really hope that I am always aware of those less fortunate.

 

We all should take some time to think about others this season especially since most of us are so blessed. Help out a food bank. Donate some blankets to a shelter. Pass out hot cocoa on the streets of Dallas. All these activities take minimal effort, but really make a difference.

 

From now on, I pledge to remember my blessings before I complain and I pledge to actively try to help those who aren’t as blessed as I am. 

What can you learn from a day of fasting?

Yesterday, MSA held it’s 13^th annual Fast-a-thon and I must say it was the best one yet. After working on this events for months, I am so proud of all we were able to do to help others.

 

Our MSA was able to teach close to 700 people about the Muslim way of fasting. We don’t do this to try to convince people to become Muslim but we instead want people to be knowledgeable about Islam.  We want everyone to understand what our values are and why we do the things we do.

 

The 800 people that fasted with us yesterday were enlightened with the sensation all Muslims get during Ramadan. We each struggle through the day due to lack of water and food but we are ok with that because we gain self-restraint. We are able to reflect upon how blessed we are because we are able to get food later in the day unlike millions around the world.

 

For the people that fasted we were also able to have corporate sponsors give on their behalf. After reaching out to many people our MSA was able to raise almost $75,000. Our original goal was to raise $50,000 but we were able to pass that! All the money will benefit Islamic Relief and their Children in Need campaign which is currently sending money to children refugees/orphans in Syria and the Phillipines.

 

 

Fast-a-thon is one of my favorite events of the year. Despite the long nights that go into it, it is always worth it. If you weren’t able to pledge or attend this year I would recommend trying it out because it is a great experience and an easy way for you to make a difference. 

SMU’s Muslim Students Association presents Fast-a-thon…

Do you have time to sign your name to save a life? I’m sure you do.

 

Next, Thursday November 21^st the Muslim Students Association at SMU will be holding its 13^th annual Fast-a-thon. Each year MSA asks students to pledge to fast for a day and then sponsors give on their behalf. This year all the money will go to Islamic Relief to aide Syrian refugees. 

 

All students have to do is go to tinyurl.com/pledgetofast and sign-up to fast. For Muslims, fasting means not drinking and eating while the sun is up. BUT we don’t require that. Students can just give something up for the day. Sweets, soda, fast food, social media? They should just do something that makes them aware of how lucky they are.

 

In the evening, MSA will be hosting a charity banquet with a three-course meal prepared by the hotel staff and great speakers. The keynote speaker for this year is Dr. Rev. Wes Magruder, the Methodist pastor who fasted all 30 days of Ramadan. He is an inter-faith advocate and I’ve actually heard him speak before and he is great.

 

Islamic Relief will also have representation there to discuss where all the money will go. Students will learn how just by signing their name and giving up something for a day the difference they made.

 

So, I encourage each of you to sign-up to fast and attend the banquet! You don’t have to attend the banquet but I’m sure it will be a great experience. Bring your organizations out and spread the word. Two minutes of your time can really make a difference in this case. 

Get others to SMU

We are also blessed to be attending such a great university. Many students don’t get the opportunities we do.

 

A lot of students in the Dallas Independent School District dream to go to a school like SMU, but most think they can’t.

 

Have you ever heard of Viceroy Meadow? You probably haven’t, despite it being right behind NorthPark. Well, it’s a neighborhood no more than four miles north of SMU. Students who live in Viceroy Meadow dream of going to SMU. With their economic situations though, they think it isn’t a possibility.

 

Most of us would want to steer clear from a college so close to home, but these students are all in it for the opportunities SMU can provide for their future.

 

So how can we help them? Well, the Simmons School of Education and different service organizations on campus are already helping out and you should join in too.

 

For students from Viceroy Meadow there is the Eagle Scholars Program. The program is for students in 7^th grade and up and is hosted at Tasby Middle School, very close to SMU’s campus!

 

Students aren’t just thrown into this program, but are chosen based on their dedication to their education. The students in this program have aspirations and know how important an education is for them to get there.

 

Volunteers help teach college preparatory classes to the students in the program. There is already a curriculum made up, volunteers just help lead the once weekly evening class.

 

So, you can have a hand in getting a student the education they want and deserve. You can help make students know that anyone can get a college education and that SMU is within their reach if they work for it.

 

I think everyone should consider how blessed they are to be at SMU and help someone else get here along the way. 

First Case for Innocence

This week I started working on my first case for the Innocence Project of Texas.

 

I had to read two witness testimonies amounting to about 150 pages of reading. I thought it would take a lot of time or would be boring but that didn’t end  up happening.

 

The text not only had the testimony of the witness but also had all the comments made during the case. Everything interested me and I didn’t even realize how much reading I was doing.

 

Although I can’t mention any specifc details, I did feel like I noticed some things in the case that seemed suspect. There is no guarantee that my guesses will help free someone but I really hope they do. I will probably have to see if there is some hard evidence to back up my points.

 

I almost feel like a detective and I really like it! I was even able to use some of what I learned in my criminal process rights class to make sure all of the criminal procedures were followed correctly.

 

This is a project I definitely see myself continuing with in the future because I am getting experience and helping people at the same time! 

Homecoming Wrap-up

Last year I was part of U11 so I represented the freshman class at Homecoming. There were only about 30 of us doing the work that usually groups of 200-300 do. Tensions ran high but we had a great support system behind us and we made it through.

This year, I tried my best to be part of the support system for the freshmen. I wanted them to have the same amazing experience I did.  I helped pomped the float and I brought cookies when they needed it most.

Here is the thing, I don’t think my physical actions made much of an impact. But, it probably made a difference in their minds knowing that I cared.

As a person who has gone through the same experiences as them, I felt an obligation to guide and lead them.  That is a service in it’s own sense. By being a mentor I can directly impact the difference someone can make.

I think all of us college students should help guide others, especially freshmen. We have to show them that they have a place and that things will work out. 

First Innocence Project Meeting!

Today I went to my first Innocence Project of Texas meeting, my most recent service endeavor. I must say I’m glad this is an organization that I have chosen to take part in.

 

I think I’ve spread myself pretty thinly across different causes and organizations on campus and so I will have to start limiting myself soon. The Innocence Project though, is something I plan on staying involved with.

 

I was assigned my first case today. I haven’t gone through the details or anything but each week members are assigned 2-3 witnesses from the case. So, over the next week I’ll go through the testimonies of my assigned witnesses and see if there is any cause for suspicion.

 

After finding areas for suspicion and reasons why the inmate can be exonerated we’ll then see if there is any proof to back it up. Without proof, nothing can be done.

 

The Innocence Project is a non-profit working toward justice. All the members involved are passionate about the area and really hope to free those that are wrongfully convicted.

 

I’m excited to get deeper into the case work and see what all is involved in a full case and I’m also excited to see if I can prove someone’s innocence.

 

To do true service to the community, I hope that before I graduate I can work through a case that will end in the exoneration of an inmate.  

 

If this sounds like something you may want to do, let me know and I can get you started!

Innocence Project of Texas at SMU

When I interviewed District Attorney Craig Watkins I connected with his work on the Conviction Integrity Unit. This unit works to free wrongfully convicted victims. They work with the Innocence Project of Texas to see who they can try to free.

 

The Innocence Project gets letters from inmates talking about their experience and their wrongful conviction. They then try to validate the facts in the letter by using the actual case.

 

I knew this was something I wanted to help out with but I was unsure of how to do so until I stumbled upon a flyer by the Post Office at Hughes Trigg. It read, “Pre-law? Help out with the Innocence Project of Texas!” There was contact information on the flyer and so I e-mailed the founder to see what I could do.

 

When we met we discussed what my role would be as a member of the SMU chapter. Basically I would get to work with the presiding attorney on sorting through the facts of the case. I would get to see if anything is fishy in the case that would give a reason for further investigation.

 

Since the cases are hundreds of pages, each member is assigned a small section that they sort through and then present on.

 

It seems like busy work but the effect of this work is tremendous- justice. By working on these cases I get to start my future career as someone who works toward “convicting the guilty and freeing the innocent.”

 

If anyone else is interested in this group, let me know! Meetings are on Thursday at 1:30 in Clements.

 

We’ll also be having a panel to introduce the Innocence Project to the community on October 30^th so if it sounds like something interesting to you, save the date. I’ll post more information soon!

Service this Homecoming Season

This week has been hectic and my crazy schedule has given me little time to get off campus and get involved in the community. Most of my time has been dedicated to the preparation of Homecoming. Luckily, Homecoming has some service aspects woven into it this year so everyone should join in on the fun!

 

One: In coordination with the theme of this year “Boulevard Bound: Many Stories One Tradition” a new group on campus, Reading for a Reason, is having a book drive on campus. They have drop boxes at Umphrey Lee, Virginia-Snider, and many other places on campus. They will collect through the next two weeks. Also, on Friday October 18^th they will be bringing first graders to campus so SMU students can read with them!

 

Two: As part of the Homecoming competition organizations will be collecting cans for the North Texas Food Bank. To make this fun on Sunday October 20^th teams will be on the Umphrey Lee Deck building structures with cans that go with their themes. If you want to donate cans to my organization (Muslim Students Association) let me know and I’ll take them off your hands!

 

Three: Now this isn’t exactly servicing the greater community, but students can give back to SMU this season through the Union Homecoming Challenge.  This is a great way to give back to our university. The benefit for everyone directly is that you can make the money go anywhere you want. So, if you hold a certain organization close to your heart than you can give the money back to that group for their use. If you are participating in Homecoming this year try to get 100% of your organization to give back!

Visit smu.edu/classgiving 

Political Service

This week I didn’t have to go searching for a service opportunity it presented itself to me in the form of an internship. An internship I would never have imagined landing.

 

For my Strategic Communications course I was able to interview Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins for a profile assignment. Once I finished asking questions about his career he turned around and asked me about my career goals. We talked about how I wanted to go into law and how I wanted to work in the public legal area. Almost immediately after saying this he said, “Would you want to do an internship for me?” I was ecstatic and said “I would love to” right away.

 

I haven’t worked out any details yet but he mentioned having me help with his campaign for reelection. Normally I wouldn’t have perceived something like this as a service opportunity. Now that I have become more familiar with the work Watkins does I know I am helping others if I work on his campaign.

 

His campaign for reelection focuses on his brand as a man fighting for justice. His work in office has set thirty-three men free who were wrongfully convicted. He has also worked to enact policies and legislatures to help better the justice process.

 

By helping his campaign I’m helping those who are in need of justice and that is service.

 

Service doesn’t have to be construed in a narrow way. If you think you are helping someone and you’re having fun doing it then you are taking part in service and you should go for it.