During their time at the University of Mississippi, many students seek to take time out of their academic schedules to volunteer in the Oxford community. The university encourages students to do so on its student involvement page, emphasizing that it “is a great way to create life-long friendships, and volunteer experience can also increase your chances of landing a dream job.”
Many students required to perform community service are provided abundant opportunities to do so. For instance, the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Luckyday Scholars Program each require students to complete at least 10 hours of community service per semester. The Ole Miss First scholarship requires eight hours of community service, as well.
Additionally, Greek life provides students, like elementary education major from Columbus, Ohio, Olivia Brotherton, with opportunities to engage in volunteer work that they would otherwise know little about.
“I am a member of Pi Beta Phi, and during our four years we are given opportunities to volunteer around Oxford, for example, reading to students at Bramlett Elementary,” Brotherton said.
She volunteers with the Leap Frog Program, an after-school program that offers diverse learning opportunities to local elementary school students to become confident, lifelong learners. Volunteers are paired one-on-one with children, whom they teach and develop relationships with over the course of a semester. Brotherton said volunteers help children with homework, reading exercises and other learning activities.
“I started volunteering last year with the Leap Frog Program, and I try to be a tutor each semester that my school schedule allows,” Brotherton said.
Brotherton says she is driven to engage with a variety of opportunities during her time as a student.
“I feel that there are so many opportunities to give back and help out around campus that it’s inevitable during our time here. Each semester I try to spend a few hours somewhere new,” Brotherton said.
Grace Ribeiro, a junior elementary education major from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, said that getting involved with Leap Frog connected her with a community outside of school.
“The only reason why I started to volunteer through Leap Frog was because I was a little homesick, and being able to give back to the community made it feel more like home and not just my college town,” Ribeiro said.
Through her volunteering, Ribeiro has been able to form bonds that nurture a love of learning in the children with whom she works.
“I love being able to work one-on-one with students for a whole semester and really form a bond with them, as well as seeing them progress into stronger readers throughout the semester,” Ribeiro said.
The university provides direct access to events and opportunities through GrovePulse, which helps students connect with the broader community by assisting them in identifying volunteer opportunities, supply drives, fundraisers and other opportunities to engage.
“The university’s primary tool for connecting students with meaningful service opportunities is GrovePulse (powered by GivePulse) — our university’s dedicated platform for community engagement,” Assistant Director of Community Engagement Kathryn Kidd said. “Launched in fall 2025, the GrovePulse rebrand is our reminder that every act of service helps our community grow stronger and more connected. The platform itself remains the powerful tool for finding and managing volunteer opportunities, now with a name that’s uniquely ours.”
The platform has been a success, with thousands of volunteers working each year.
“On average, we have over 2,600 volunteers using GivePulse to find, track and share their impact per year,” Kidd said.
Kidd noted that many student volunteers gain positive experiences.
“From what I can see, a large chunk of volunteer hours is going to accounts like (Luckyday Scholars) and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College,” Kidd said. “Anecdotally, I know that students use GrovePulse to find opportunities to engage with the community, learn new skills and meet new people. We can see this through the comments volunteers leave when they submit impacts for their services.”
Notable venues for involvement include organizations such as the United Way of Oxford and the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement. Doors of Hope is a non-profit that works to assist the homeless and at-risk families.
The student-run Big Event “has historically been the largest community service event in the history of the University of Mississippi,” according to the organization’s website.
Ella Wainwright, co-director of volunteer recruitment and retention for the Big Event, is drawn to the strong network of students who frequently volunteer in the community.
“What draws me back to volunteering with the Big Event each year is the amazing network of people who share my same love for community service, and most importantly, for Oxford,” Wainwright, a junior public policy leadership major, said. “This organization does such an amazing job at using our strength in numbers to make a positive impact for the town that gives us so much. Whether it’s volunteering at the local animal shelter or helping out a neighbor in town, you can truly feel the impact that this organization has on the city of Oxford and the Ole Miss community.”
RebelTHON, another student service organization, raises money for Mississippi’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Children’s of Mississippi in Jackson, through a 12-hour dance marathon and fundraising activities throughout the year.
Emma Grace Hale, a senior social work major, is a fourth-year volunteer for RebelTHON.
“I volunteer for RebelTHON because it is an amazing organization that gives me the ability to be a part of something that is bigger than myself,” Hale said. “I take pride in knowing that we are helping change kids’ lives! … I’ve met some of my best friends in the world through this organization, specifically my morale captain family, and I can’t imagine doing college without them.”
Ole Miss students have plenty of opportunities to make a positive difference in the community. Ribeiro believes that Oxford has done so much for her, so offering her time to make a positive impact is returning the favor.
“I get to feel like I am giving back to a town that has given me so much,” Ribeiro said.
