College student has a passion to serve

Colleen Ryan has a passion for serving others.

In her seventh-grade year at Crestdale Middle School, Ryan, 22, a resident of Providence Hills in south Charlotte, was nominated by her social studies teacher for People to People, a nonprofit organization that provides unique opportunities for student ambassadors to experience different places and cultures.

During the next four years, Ryan participated in three trips to Europe; she said the program allowed her to see parts of the countries most tourists miss. More importantly, she said, she connected with the people she met.

“You learn so much about your own country through the perceptions of others, and you see how cultures around the world really are so different, but when you get to the bottom of it, everyone truly has the same wants and needs,” Ryan said.

After graduating from Butler High School, Ryan headed to the University of South Carolina, where she quickly became involved in campus leadership. She joined University Ambassadors, a group of students that serves visitors and spreads its passion for USC. She held a student government cabinet position and mentored incoming first-year students as a University 101 peer leader.

Ryan is director of awareness programs for the Carolina Service Council and a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. Despite her busy schedule, she also finds a way to cheer for the Gamecocks’ football team at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“Saturdays in the fall are my favorite,” she said.

Ryan’s true love, however, is community service. In her sophomore year, she took an alternative spring-break trip to Washington, D.C., to learn about hunger and homelessness.

“My eyes and heart were opened so much during those five days that it completely put me on fire for service,” she said.

When she returned from the trip, Ryan successfully applied for a position in USC’s community service program. Her biggest project required her to plan and lead her own alternative spring break trip. She took 18 fellow students to Nashville, Tenn., to focus on low-income neighborhoods and children. Each night, the group cooked dinner and shared reflections from its day of service.

“I was speechless after listening to some of the things that the student volunteers had realized and thought about during their time serving,” said Ryan. “It’s one thing to have your heart and mind opened to issues, but when you give that feeling and experience to 18 other people, especially enough to push forward and continue serving, it’s surreal and honestly the absolute best feeling in the world.”

Ryan has learned many lessons from her experiences. Above all, she said, she believes in people – no matter their predicament – and that they all want the same basic things, even if they look different or have different means.

“I think that kind of understanding is crucial for my generation,” she said.

Ryan is a senior this year, and she has an internship with the United Way of the Midlands in Columbia, S.C. After graduation, she hopes to work for a nonprofit organization so she can continue to serve.

“Traveling abroad and serving truly opens your mind so much, and I’m so lucky to have the outlook I do because of the opportunities I’ve been given,” she said. “I’m a lot more open-minded than I ever was, but I think the biggest thing is I know I’m still learning.”