A Healthy Exchange: UHD Students Teach and Get Schooled Through Service Learning

By Laura Wagner

The best way to learn is to teach, the saying goes.

UHD students recently discovered this truth after teaching more than 80 K-12 students and their families about nutrition and health science at a UHD service-learning project in Houston’s Northline community.

Led by Dr. Mesias Pedroza, Lecturer of Biology and Chemistry in the Natural Sciences Department, more than 20 UHD students taught health-related concepts to students and their families at a Learning with Thomas Academy event.

“Our students conducted health science activities and games and read with the children,” Pedroza explained. “We want to teach these families about diseases and health issues that disproportionately affect the Latino community in the U.S. to help decrease the incidence of the diseases as well as the associated morbidity and mortality.”

UHD’s service-learning programs integrate community service with coursework to “enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” The UHD students who participated in the project confirmed its value for them.

Social Work junior Veronica Hernandez noted, “I learned that communicating to the kids with patience is key. And that with encouragement, they wanted to keep trying more difficult challenges.”

Biological and Physical Sciences senior Omar Khan agreed. “Trying to make complex scientific processes and chemical reactions tangible and fun to younger students was enlightening,” he said. “It helped me understand how to take concepts we learn in our classes and translate them so that a child could understand.” The results were worth the effort, he added. “Watching their faces get excited about the hydrophobic effect was amazing! And it was challenging—it taught me and the students a lot.”

The learning session was so successful, Pedroza plans to conduct one per semester going forward in addition to the more frequent tutoring sessions. “The community provided great feedback, saying it was informative and enjoyable,” he said. “Families walked away from this event equipped with the knowledge of how to make healthy decisions concerning their diets and lifestyle.”