SMHS students host annual Service Learning Day

This past Monday was Service Learning Day at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

More than simply “volunteering,” service learning follows the PARE model (Prepare, Act, Reflect, and Evaluate). In this model, participants not only provide direct service to communities and organizations looking for partners, but also come to understand better the conditions that created the “need” in question in the first place.

To that end, on Monday, March 31, eight SMHS students gave electronic presentations to a panel of faculty judges who evaluated the presentations for clarity, impact, and scholarship.

The top three presentations at the 2025 SMHS Service Learning Day were:

• Blair Stewig (MS3), Aly Thielges (MS3), and Annie Ferguson (MS3): “Creating is Caring: Knit Prostheses for Individuals Battling Breast Cancer”
• Mikale Kuntz (MS3): “Compassionate Connections: Service Learning in Hospice Care”
• Emilee Ohman (MS3): “Volunteering with Ethos Hospice of North Dakota”

Thanks to all the faculty and students who participated in the event.