Civic Engagement & Service

Advisor Spotlight

Support students. Serve communities. Be part of the experience.

Bulls Service Breaks are powerful because of the students who serve, the communities who welcome them and the faculty and staff members who help make these transformative experiences possible.

Trip Advisors play an important role in supporting student-led service experiences, helping participants connect their service to reflection, learning and personal growth.

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Emily Granville continued...

Granville, who serves in Student Conduct & Ethical Development, participated as a Trip Advisor for the weekend service experience coordinated through the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement. In that role, she helped support a student Trip Leader and eight participants as they engaged with children and families at Camp Boggy Creek, a 232-acre camp that provides medically sound camp experiences for children ages 7–16 living with serious illnesses.

For faculty and staff Trip Advisors, Bulls Service Breaks offer an opportunity to mentor student leaders, encourage reflection and help students approach service with compassion, humility and purpose. For Granville, the experience also became a powerful reminder of the impact that kindness and presence can have on families facing difficult circumstances.

“This past weekend I had the incredible opportunity to serve as a Trip Advisor for one of our Bulls Service Breaks at Camp Boggy Creek, a camp dedicated to providing life-changing camp experiences at no cost to children with serious illnesses,” Granville said. “Myself and the eight students on the trip were each paired with a family whose main camper was or still is experiencing some form of cancer. During these weekend retreats, their whole family gets to come experience the magic of camp.”

At no cost to families, Camp Boggy Creek creates a safe and joyful environment where campers can simply be kids. Throughout the weekend, children and their families participated in activities such as horseback riding, archery, fishing, talent shows and other camp traditions designed to create lasting memories.

Granville said the experience underscored the mission of the camp and the importance of helping others feel safe, respected and loved.

“Camp Boggy Creek centers their mission on ensuring all campers feel safe, respected and loved,” Granville said.

“What I will take with me most — besides the smiles from my campers — is the reminder that choosing kindness is the best first step in helping someone feel safe, respected and loved.”

Granville highly recommends becoming a BSB advisor. "It’s a wonderful opportunity to engage with students beyond our typical office roles and hours. Shaun Harris, Associate Director for the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, does an excellent job of setting you up for success, allowing you to focus on building meaningful connections with students and contributing to impactful service projects. If you’re looking for a way to give back to the community while helping develop student leaders, this is a fantastic opportunity."

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Anna Kovach continued...

During the service experience, Kovach and students worked together to sort, package and distribute food that would support individuals and families across the Orlando area. The trip, coordinated through the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement, gave students the opportunity to engage in hands-on service while learning more about the broader issue of food insecurity in Central Florida.

Kovach said the experience served as a meaningful reminder of what can happen when people come together around a shared purpose.

“Watching our students step into an unfamiliar warehouse environment, quickly learn the process, and work seamlessly as a team was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience,” Kovach said. “Everyone brought different perspectives and experiences, but they supported one another and stayed focused on the collective goal of helping the community.”

As a Trip Advisor, Kovach helped support the student-led service experience by encouraging teamwork, reflection and connection to the community partner’s mission. 

For Kovach, one of the most powerful parts of the experience was seeing students connect their volunteer work to Second Harvest’s broader approach to addressing food insecurity.

In addition to distributing food, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida supports workforce development initiatives, including a culinary training program designed to help individuals gain job skills that can lead to stable employment and greater long-term food security.

“I was inspired by learning how Second Harvest is addressing the root causes of food insecurity. Seeing our students connect their service to this broader mission felt like a full-circle moment and emphasized the purpose of Bulls Service Breaks.”

Kovach said the experience showed students that meaningful community change extends beyond meeting immediate needs.

“They recognized that meaningful community change goes beyond meeting immediate needs,” Kovach said. “It also requires investing in long-term solutions.”

According to Kovach, being a Trip Advisor, "is an opportunity to make meaningful impact while experiencing service alongside students. You'll get to witness moments of growth, connection, and reflection. If you're looking for a rewarding way to support student development and engage with the community, I encourage you to take the leap."

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Faculty and staff interested in becoming a Trip Advisor for a future Bulls Service Breaks experience can email civicengagement@usf.edu to learn more about supporting meaningful, student-led service opportunities.