Dalat Students Should do More Service Work

Elisabeth Kilgo

Coming to Dalat was one of the best events in my life, because it really helped with college applications. Foreign international experience? Check. Higher academic standards? Check. Extensive service work? Check- well, kind of.

Dalat, unlike many other schools, requires and encourages its students to participate in community service work, which is fantastic, and it truly shows the Christian values this school strives to display. However, aside from what Dalat requires of us (only ten mandatory service graduation hours a year), Dalat students don't participate in service as much as they should.

Students should help others more because, a. we are privileged compared to many around us, and we should use our advantages to help others, b. it's the Christian thing to do, and c. service work might benefit you more than those you're doing it for.

“I agree that Dalat should require us to do more service work,” John Cho (12) said. “I really want to help others more and make sure they’re not left out.”

Studies show that people who give service to others are emotionally healthier than those who don't. It can ease depression and relieve stress—both of which some students suffer from. Now, I’m not saying that people should serve others for selfish reasons (if that even exists); however, some need more incentive than just the idea that they’re helping people who need it.

It may sound shallow, but can you blame busy students who are told all their lives that school is the most important thing to them, and it should come before anything else?

Many don’t participate in service work because they’re “too busy.” Many are willing to spend hundreds of hours studying for quizzes and tests, but won’t consider giving up their Saturday to work in an orphanage, for example. Instead of dismissing them as lazy (which they clearly aren’t considering their academic drive), they need to be educated. Skip the academics, let’s take a reality check.

We are among the top 1% of privileged people in the world—yet most of us suffer from mild to severe depression. How is that possible? My theory is that it’s because we don’t know what suffering and real need are. I know people who cry when they get a B on a math test or get stressed when a pair of Nike shoes they want to buy isn’t in stock. 

We have it so easy, our idea of suffering is staying up a couple more hours to study for that annoying test or write that essay. My point in writing this is that Dalat students need to focus on helping others more. Everyone loves to comment on how great our school community is, and it really is, but our students could do more.