Student passions inspire a different kind of final exam

During finals week this fall term, one North Central College faculty member had a different take on the final exam for her Introduction to Public Speaking class.

“Many of my students are extremely passionate about important causes so I wanted to give them a more creative challenge for their final exam,” said Lisa Barber, half-time instructor of communication.

“I presented the idea of a fundraising party for a cause of their choice. The idea is to use money they typically spend on going out, say $20-25, and instead invite their friends to stay in and donate that money to an important cause.”

Students took the challenge and created their own ideas. Many set up fund-raising pages on sites like gofundme.com, using their social media channels to get the word out. One group offered hot chocolate and homemade candy at a campus hotspot to attract students to learn about their cause, Christmas Without Cancer, and donate. Others invited friends to join their study groups or to watch movies together where they could talk about their causes and invite friends to donate.

In addition to Christmas Without Cancer, student final exam projects included Naperville YMCA Angel Tree, Grounds of Grace, Page’s Pals, Naperville ADOPT and Three Angels.

[Photo, from left: Marcela Beneitez ’21, Grace Vestuto ’21, McKenna Moran ’20, Natalie Cebulski ’21, Fernanda Beneitez ’21]