Maddie LaRosa-Ray, a first-year student at the Clinton School of Public Service, organized a student cleanup of the William E. “Bill” Clark Presidential Park Wetlands on Nov. 5.
LaRosa-Ray, a dual Master of Public Service and Master of Social Work student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from Denton, Texas, serves as the vice president of community relations for the Clinton School’s Student Government Association. In this role, she is responsible for connecting students with local service opportunities and tracking volunteer hours.
LaRosa-Ray and a small group of volunteers picked up litter and debris found along the public park’s boardwalk and the Arkansas River Trail. The Bill Clark Presidential Park Wetlands is a 13-acre restored habitat next to the Clinton Presidential Center, which serves as a popular sport for school field trips and local recreation.
For LaRosa-Ray, who plans to pursue a career in forensic social work within the criminal justice system, engaging with the community through volunteering is an essential component of her graduate education.
“We are all going into public service-oriented careers, so we all want to make the world a better place,” LaRosa-Ray said. “I feel that we are very privileged to get a graduate education, and we should recognize that some of us are guests to this community and try to contribute as much to this community before we graduate.”
The cleanup of the Bill Clark Presidential Park Wetlands is the first service project organized by the SGA this semester. LaRosa-Ray plans to host other community-service events, including another cleanup day project in partnership with Keep Arkansas Beautiful, an Arkansas Foodbank volunteer day, and collaborative service projects with other graduate student groups.