Pioneering Maxwell School Students Make Global Impact
As we celebrate Martin Luther King’s legacy this month and his call to service, NJYCC is pleased to share more about our partnership with the Citizenship & Civic Engagement Program (CCE) at the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Each year undergraduate students can combine academic pursuits with on-the-ground community engagement, research, and action. Students pursue a unique course of study based on the social issues that mean the most to them and spends time working with community organizations and local governments to make an impact. NJYCC was proud to lend our support to help 6 CCE students through the High Impact Scholars Initiative take on projects creating impact around the world.
Emma Culver ’22, a double major in International Relations and CCE with a minor in Anthropology, spent the summer interning with the WISE Women’s Business Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs and providing mentorship, training, and consulting for women-owned enterprises. This work has become increasingly critical to the survival and success of small businesses since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and Emma’s work creating social media marketing campaigns increased awareness and participation in the programs offered at WISE.
Morgan Eaton ’22, majoring in Policy Studies and CCE with a minor in Information Management & Technology, used this funding to allow him intern at an Amazon Fulfilment Center in Connecticut, developing and implementing health and safety measures to proactively support employees. Morgan also developed a wiki evaluated a partnership between Amazon and area nonprofit organizations to donate excess products, reducing waste and providing needed supplies to the community. He used skills learned at the Maxwell School to create a proposal expanding the donation program to other locations in New England. His work on the company’s community engagement strategies and workplace health and safety measures are already creating positive change.
Another Policy Studies and CCE major minoring in Data Analytics, Caitlyn Langille ‘22 worked with a nonprofit organization called RISE – Refugee and Immigrant Self Empowerment – to research curriculum for English Language Learners and develop a plan to survey local families about their awareness and ability to access existing resources for youth education. By getting a better understanding of the gap between available services and the communities they are not reaching, Caitlyn can provide a report to the organizations that serve these immigrant and refugee youth, connecting them with the tools and resources available to them to improve their lives.
Choosing to spend her summer abroad, Emma Dahmen ’23, a double major in Economics and CCE with a minor in Spanish, was able to study the similarities and differences in how Spaniards in Madrid engage in civic life compared to the US. As a result, her focus on encouraging civic engagement gained a new perspective; namely, how newcomers to a society can interact with lifelong residents to create a stronger community.
Andrew Lieberman ’23, a double major in Political Science and CCE, is laser focused on sustainability, so his summer researching renewable energy in Bonaire fit in perfectly with his previous CCE internship at the Fenner Renewable Energy Education Center in rural Upstate New York. By studying the process, successes, and limitations of a society’s attempt to completely transition to renewable energy sources, Andrew will be able to bring the insights he gained to other communities. Andrew hopes to pursue a law degree so that he can protect the natural world for future generations.
Sofia Rossi ’22, a Policy Studies and CCE double major, chose to take action in support of increasing civic education, a topic very close to our hearts at the NJYCC. She traveled to the University of California Riverside to intern with the Civic Engagement Research Group over the summer. Sofia has spent several semesters volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in Syracuse, and the experience studying the recently implemented California Civic Education Seal legislation informed her subsequent work with the youth in Central New York. It gave her the foundation to create a program introducing the concepts and importance of civics education that can be implemented at Boys and Girls Club locations around the community and gave her the research needed to support the development of policy recommendations to the NYS Department of Education.
We congratulate Emma, Morgan Caitlyn, Emma, Andrew and Sofia on their successful projects and applaud their pioneering spirit and commitment to making positive change.