Reyes was named a 2023-24 Community-Based Research Scholar.
Tony Reyes is an assistant professor in the Human Services Studies Department at Elon University and was named a 2023-24 Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholar. Throughout his two years of teaching at Elon, he has taught human services courses, all with the focus on meeting the needs of all people in different service settings.
Reyes expresses that even though only one of the courses he teaches (Working with Groups and Communities – HSS 2130) is about community-based learning, he does incorporate it into all the classes he teaches because of its monumental value and importance in students’ lives after Elon.
“Community-based learning provides students with opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills they gain in class to real-world situations, making the learning experience more meaningful and impactful,” Reyes said. “At the same time, through their time and efforts, students empower the communities they engage with.”
A general understanding is undergraduate students are attending college to grow as people and to prepare for their next chapter in life. With this notion in mind, Reyes believes that community-based learning “pushes students to grow in their critical thinking, self-awareness, empathy and a sense of social responsibility as they come face-to-face with real life problems.”
Reyes has worked with many community partners in Alamance County. Those partners include City Gate Dream Center, Positive Attitude Youth Center, Blakey Hall and the Mayco Bigelow Community Center.
He was drawn to these programs because they all have a “common commitment to serve the community around them and to find ways to include Elon students in their mission.”