It was Valentine’s Day of 2023 when Valerie first came to the Pace Center. “I was feeling especially lonely,” she recalled. “I didn’t have many friends at VCU - all my friends attended other universities.” Valerie was scrolling through VCU’s campus activity board and saw a special Valentine’s Day-themed Stories & Lunch at Pace. She thought she might as well give it a shot. “I walked into the sanctuary and was immediately intimidated because there were so many people.”
Nevertheless, Valerie fought her discomfort and found a place to sit down. The person she sat next to immediately introduced herself as Rachel. “She was like, ‘Hey! What’s your name?’ And from that point on, she made sure I was included into the conversation.” Many students at the table didn’t know each other well, but they all participated in the conversation seemingly unselfconsciously. “I used to be scared to interact with anyone. I was really shy,” said Valerie. “I'd just never been in an environment where everybody was so nice. They made a big effort to make sure everybody at the table was included in the conversation.”
Stories & Lunch is a student-led program at the Pace Center. The students who orchestrate the weekly event are trained in servant leadership principles and encouraged to think of ways to create a welcoming environment where a newcomer can participate. They do this by choosing a topic of conversation that most students can relate to, appointing “table captains” to each table who get the conversation rolling, and even by using real plates, glasses, and cutlery. “All the little details,” said Valerie, “the furniture, the real plates, make Pace feel like a home away from home.”
“I had an epiphany that first day,” she mused. “I thought, ‘I really like this and I think it's what I need. I need to make friends. I need to connect and learn how to communicate with others. I'm gonna keep coming every day if I can.’” Valerie returned to Pace later that week and eventually tried every program that the Pace Center offers. Now, she co-leads a group study event called Pomodoro Cafe. “When I see somebody alone, I remember myself in the same position, when I was scared and didn't want to talk to anybody. I remember that just one person asking your name can have a huge impact. So now, I try to practice that same thing: ‘Hey, come over here. What's your name?’ Being here has given me so much confidence.”
Thanks to your support, students like Valerie can discover the servant leader within.
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