A group of more than 45 new students arrived on campus early to take part in community service and civic engagement through one of Linfield’s pre-orientation programs.

First CLAS is a week-long leadership and service based pre-orientation program.

Linfield offers several pre-orientation programs for first-year students to get involved on campus the week before classes begin.

“This is a cool opportunity [for new students] to get on campus early to learn about Linfield and the McMinnville community,” First CLAS leader junior Deizhanna Kaya-Abad said.

Joni Tonn, director of Community Engagement and Service at Linfield said that First CLAS gives students the opportunity to engage in the kind of learning Linfield focuses on.

“That is how Linfield as a whole excels: individuals working toward a common goal, an engaged learning community,” Tonn said.

One of the most valuable parts of First CLAS is the opportunity to reflect on one’s own experiences, which students will do inside and outside of the classroom throughout their four years at Linfield.

Students were able to better understand the impact they had and the leadership skills they gained through group reflection.

The 49 participants were split in to groups of eight to nine and had a returning student leader to help them complete service projects.

Students had the opportunity to volunteer at Miller Woods, Yamhill County Watershed, Head Start, Habitat for Humanity as well as other local organizations.

Working with these organizations allowed students to start engaging in their new community.
Group leader sophomore Caitlyn Van Zandt said that “watch them grow as a team” was the most rewarding part of working with her group of new students.

First CLAS is in its fifth year and is the longest running pre-orientation program.

Kaya-Abad said pre-orientation programs are beneficial to new students because they “help ease the transition students go through from being in high school to a first year college student.”