Final Reflections on My Service Learning Experience

    Looking back on my service learning experience, I think a lot went well. One of the biggest positives was getting the chance to work with a real organization and contribute to something that had a real purpose. It felt meaningful to know that the work I was doing on the website could actually help Eat for the Earth communicate its mission better. 

    If I could improve something, I would probably try to organize communication and planning even more from the start. There were times when revisions, design preferences, and theme limitations made the process feel slower than expected. I would also improve how I balance design ideas with the technical limits of the platform.

    The most impactful part of this experience was working with a real client and seeing how professional work is different from regular class assignments. In class, you usually just submit something to meet the rubric, but here I had to think about the client’s goals, preferences, audience, and long-term use of the website. That made the experience feel more real and helped me grow professionally. It also showed me the importance of patience, flexibility, and paying attention to details.

    One part of the experience that was frustrating for me was that working in WordPress was not what I imagined service learning would be like as a computer science student. After spending so much time learning coding and technical problem-solving, I expected a project that felt more connected to those skills. Instead, a lot of the work focused on layout, design adjustments, and working within theme limitations. Since my teammates were also not very comfortable handling that part, a lot of it ended up falling on me. I still did the work and understand that it needed to be done, but I think project selection could be improved so students have opportunities that connect more directly to the skills they are studying and want to build.

    My advice for future service learning students is to stay flexible, communicate clearly, and not expect everything to go perfectly the first time. Real projects involve revision, problem-solving, and sometimes working through unclear directions. It helps to ask questions, keep notes, and be open to feedback. I would also say to take the experience seriously, because it gives you a better understanding of what it feels like to do professional work that affects a real organization and not just a grade.