Whether she is coaching a local soccer team or traveling abroad, the new director of the University of Alabama Community Service Center, Courtney Thomas, is always looking for ways to serve others. Thomas said she believes that service is not only a way to give back to the community, but also an integral part of finding oneself.
“To serve is to see the faces of the world,” Thomas said. “With every new face, we learn a little more about our own character and beliefs: what we believe we should fight, where we believe we should advocate and when we believe we should be a loud voice for those who don’t have one.”
Thomas first discovered her passion for community service after a six-week trip she took to Africa when she was 18 years old. The trip changed her perspective, and, at that moment in her life, poverty became more than a statistic. It was real.
“It changed everything about my entire life,” Thomas said. “I decided at that moment that I wanted to devote everything about myself to helping others and to helping fight poverty, both locally and around the world. Before, I wanted to be a politician and study public relations, but after seeing poverty firsthand, I felt it was my calling to dedicate my life to serving. At that point, I changed my major to social work.”
Subsequently, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work from Auburn University before continuing her education at Baylor University. There she earned a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in physical and mental health and a specialization in global and social issues of poverty.
Since her life-changing experience in Africa, Thomas has participated in numerous service projects domestically and abroad. While she pursued her undergraduate degree, Thomas spent a semester in post-Katrina New Orleans, La., doing cleanup, helping with missing persons and working for the Crisis Hotline Center.
“[New Orleans] was a very meaningful experience because I had never seen disaster on that level here in the United States. It was very humbling,” Thomas said.
More recently, Thomas spent a year resettling 47 refugee families from the African country Burundi. Once they arrived in America, Thomas helped the families adjust to life in the U.S. by teaching them simple skills, such as how to use a shower or what type of food to keep in the refrigerator.
“Some of the sweetest moments were being able to welcome families to America and watch as the look on their faces changed because they knew they were safe,” Thomas said. “That was one of the best days of my life.”
However, despite her extensive degrees and wealth of experience, Thomas said her greatest skill is willingness. Because of this willingness, she was able to travel with the organization Doctors Without Borders to volunteer in medical clinics in Honduras.
“If you’re willing to serve, there’s always a place for you,” Thomas said. “I may not have had the skills to be a doctor, but I could wash the feet of the patients with foot diseases. So that’s what I did.”
Now employed at The University of Alabama, Thomas oversees all community service projects that go through the University. She also supervises UA programs, such as Al’s Pals, visiting senior citizens at Capstone Living and serving meals at Jesus Way Homeless Shelters.
“I help develop relationships with non-profit organizations locally, as well as throughout the rest of the state, The United States and in other countries to give students opportunities to participate in meaningful transformational services, experience new cultures and use educational skills to address issues, theories and ideas discussed in class,” Thomas said.
Although Thomas has been at The University of Alabama for only one month, she has already gained esteem among her colleagues. In the three most hectic weeks of the school year, Thomas has been a significant help in organizing Al’s Pals, a popular mentoring program among students.
“[Thomas] has already proven to be a problem solver who is able to handle many and varying tasks in a professional manner,” Star Bloom, Al’s Pals coordinator said. “We are so glad she is here.”
Similarly, Assistant Director of Community Services Kim Montgomery said she is also happy to have Thomas as a part of the University.
“I am excited about what students can gain by working with her,” Montgomery said. “[Thomas] may be young, but she has a wealth of experience, both domestic and international, and she brings many attributes to the University.”
In her new position, Thomas hopes to make the Community Service Center more well-known on campus. One of her goals is to grow the Community Service Center so much that no student can say he or she graduated after four years of college without serving the local community in some way.
“Gandhi said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,’” Thomas quoted. “That’s so true, and I hope that as the Director of Community Services, I can inspire that attitude in the students at The University of Alabama.”
