Peckham: Persona

by Cory Pitzer
For academic purposes only.

User: Quinn Hitzel, Student, Michigan State University

Status: Freshman As a first-year freshman (with 20 credits or less),
at Michigan State University and living on campus, having a car is prohibited. Luckily, she has a semester pass for the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus system.

Major: Family Community Services (Bachelor of Arts) Students are prepared to work in community and governmental agencies and organizations that provide human services within changing societies and serve children, youth, and families. Students select a concentration to focus on: early childhood, education, child and youth development, or adult development. They are expected to work in community agencies as a volunteer during the course of their study (Source: www.reg.msu.edu).

Class: FCE 270: Introduction to Family Community Services One of the classes that Quinn is taking to complete her undergraduate degree is FCE 270, which is described as: Family community services from an ecological perspective. Professional orientation and factors influencing the field. Participation in community agency required (Source: www.reg.msu.edu).

Employment: Works part-time in on-campus dormitory cafeteria, 11 hours per week. Shifts are on a fixed schedule in two-week rotations. She received Work Study from financial aid and therefore must work in order to contribute to the payment of her tuition and housing fees, as well as the repayment of student loans. With having to manage work and a rigorous class schedule including study time, etc, this indicates that time availability becomes an obstacle in the volunteering process.

Conclusion/Deliverables: In conclusion, Quinn’s class requires her
to put in volunteer time around the greater Lansing area. Through the school she has pre-arranged that she will be volunteering with Peckham Industries. Where other audiences would be required to fill out an application, she is able to bypass that step and go straight to volunteering. Since Quinn’s transportation and availability is limited, I propose a tool that will allow her to access all the information she would need to know about upcoming events through Peckham and help her quickly and effectively find opportunities that will fit into
her schedule.