Interns Helpful at First UMC College Station

Investing in the Young has been a win/win partnership for First UMC College Station as Texas A&M students have served the church as technology consultants for classroom credit this semester.
 
FUMC, College Station was selected by Texas A&M University as a teaching lab for students majoring in Information Technology. Four students were assigned to work with the church this semester to provide support and consulting in regard to the IT needs of the church. According to Rev. Linda Davis, these students have assisted in upgrading computers and installing services as it relates to the IT needs of the church in the areas of worship and administration as well as modifying secretarial workstations, the website, and audio announcements. Professor Trez Jones explains that, “Their course is taught in conjunction with a University Service Learning Fellowship I received for the 2014 - 2015 school year.  Students get the opportunity to learn in a real world environment while providing a service back to the community.”
 

 
She knows it was a great experience for staff and students alike. “We welcome the opportunity to continue to build community with the students of TAMU. It definitely was a “win-win” project. We appreciate the students for selecting FUMC, College Station as their service learning project. “   
 
Crystal Carter, church website manager says, “The students contributed their time, talent, and resources to help with improvements to the church website. Their energy was infectious and it was a pleasure to work with them. I hope they continue to succeed in their future endeavors.”
 
“For me the best part of this was knowing that after each task we accomplished, I could see the happiness in Pastor Linda's face,” shares student Abdi Abdi, a freshman from Houston. “I also think learning from my mistakes on the website was great. Overall for me it was a GREAT service learning project!” Joey Sanders, a sophomore from Houston agrees, “The best part about this for me was being able to learn how to communicate well and plan. Planning around up to six schedules at any one time was tough but we accomplished it through learning how to communicate well. It allowed my group to grow closer together and we learned how to adapt to new situations.  Along with this we met people in our own College Station community, Pastor Linda Davis and Crystal Carter.”
 
Student Joshua Fang admits, “Learning how to troubleshoot older computers was frustrating at times, but I'm glad I got hands-on experience in such a positive environment. I saw firsthand how important clear communication is, and I hope the church continues to grow as a result of our help.”