Brittany Strause
Wartburg College
Brittany is currently serving Wartburg College as a member of the Diversity Committee, Co-Director of the Social Work Club, an Orientation Staff Leader and a Peer Mentor in Pathways, our academic resource center. Brittany has also served the AmeriCorps program as an Overnight Shelter Associate in Aurora, Illinois, during the summer of 2019. She has taken a role as the Volunteer Manager for the Holiday Shoppe, which is a partnership with the Waverly United Way, providing holiday gifts to families in need. Leadership and service are very important at Wartburg as evidenced by the college’s mission statement: Wartburg College is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning. Brittany shows these qualities through her work on campus and in the community.
Personal Statement
During my time at Wartburg College I have been involved in several service opportunities. I served as a volunteer manager of The Holiday Shoppe, a partnership between United Way and the Wartburg College Social Work Department. My main task was to find and train volunteers to assist in the event. In these two years we were able to serve over 750 children in the community. In the summer of 2019 I was hired through AmeriCorps to combat the housing and homeless crisis Illinois is facing. I spent 40-hours a week volunteering at a homeless shelter near my hometown. I served as the overnight shelter associate and took on projects such as volunteer performance and the operation of the clothing closet every Thursday. I spent one summer here, but the impact from it will remain with me forever. I have since found a passion for combating homelessness, advocating for mental health services, and being informed about trauma and how it impacts individuals.
