Twenty students recently completed a leadership program that gave them a chance to reflect and build on their community-engaged learning experiences.
The , administered by the (OEI), aims to foster change and build continuity in leadership with a public purpose among group participants, on campus and beyond.
Through a weekly series of interactive capstone dialogues this semester, meeting first at the Engaged Cornell Hub in Kennedy Hall and continuing online, two student cohorts shared transformational experiences in contributing to local and global communities for the public good. They discussed their commitments and models of change, what they learned, and their plans and goals for future engagement with communities.
鈥淪tudents participate for a lot of different reasons, and some of the biggest are applying your talent in areas that you鈥檙e already involved in,鈥 Sawako Suzuki 鈥20 said. 鈥淎 lot of people do have an idea of what they want to do before coming into the program, and a lot of community engaged leadership is figuring out what that is, to move forward.鈥
Suzuki is an international agriculture and rural development major with a nutrition and health minor. As an Engaged Ambassador, she spreads the word on engagement opportunities at Cornell and the range of resources available to students, and she and her peers coordinate every aspect of the leadership program and facilitate capstone sessions.
She has volunteered since her freshman year with a student group partnered with national nonprofit organization Camp Kesem to provide a free week-long summer camp and year-round support and resources to Tompkins County children who have been impacted by a parent's cancer. She calls it 鈥渟ome of the most meaningful work I have done at Cornell.鈥
Engineering major Alex Li 鈥20 said he first 鈥渂ranched out鈥 into community-engaged learning in his junior year. He worked on a digital agriculture project over winter break with M-Farm, an agritech company in Nairobi, Kenya, through the (Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams).
鈥淚 wanted to see how engineering can be applied in development. It was cool to see Cornell learning applied in a tangible way,鈥 said Li, who plans to work in tech and consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area before graduate school, and wants 鈥渢o learn how people can effectively work together to solve issues of sustainability.鈥
Students enter the eight-week capstone 鈥 the final stage of the program 鈥 with a proven commitment, including 80 hours of engagement with one organization or project and participation in leadership education, critical reflection, retreats and workshops. As they progress through the program, they become eligible for increased funding for community-engaged learning projects and the opportunity to serve as an Engaged Ambassador.
Human biology, health and society major Aneri Patel 鈥21 has helped immigrants overcome educational barriers and earn GEDs, and will focus her engagement work next year on health and equity issues in the Ithaca community. Last summer, Patel and fellow cohort members Jasmine Peng 鈥20, a biological sciences major, and Bunmi Osias 鈥21, a global and public health sciences major, did engaged research with the .
Raksha Krishnan 鈥22, a neurobiology and behavior major minoring in global health and music, and serves as vice president of the . 鈥淚鈥檓 seeing how this opportunity could help me to widen outreach,鈥 she said, 鈥渁nd help with bridging health disparities on our campus.鈥
Government major Penelope Campos 鈥20 is concerned with poverty in her native New York City, specifically educational inequality, immigrant rights and housing. She works with various nonprofits and family services programs.
鈥淚 realize these issues are all interconnected,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y vision of a healthy community is one where all people, especially those in public service, contribute to a safe and supportive environment, where opportunities reach those for whom they have not typically been accessible.鈥
The program鈥檚 framework for critical reflection, Suzuki said, 鈥渁llows you to apply the experiences you鈥檙e having into new contexts 鈥 to remember what your purpose is coming into it, and how that鈥檚 impacted you throughout the process.鈥
鈥淵ou are creating the blueprint for future action based on your personal story of self and how you envision living into your purpose,鈥 Mike Bishop, director of student leadership in OEI, told students during a capstone session.
鈥淓very capstone cohort is made up of the students I wanted to be when I was in college,鈥 said Joy Shri Das, M.P.A. 鈥18, student leadership program manager in OEI. 鈥淭his semester鈥檚 cohorts showed exceptional commitment in pursuing the dialogue sessions when campus dispersed. They proved to be incredibly brave in the vulnerability they showed during the discussions, which can be tricky when you are back with your family.鈥
The COVID-19 pandemic also 鈥渋mpacted their models of change,鈥 Das said.
鈥淔or Keelin Kelly 鈥20 [who worked on climate change assistance with ], her commitment to advocating for small farms like her family鈥檚 was reinforced,鈥 Das said. 鈥淢att Ponticiello 鈥21 [an Engaged Ambassador and global and public health sciences major], who has many different public issues he cares about, realized through his reflections and conversations with his peers why he is most committed to supporting immigrants building lives in the United States.鈥
Sarah Hazlitt, domestic logistics coordinator in OEI, also participated in the capstone dialogues.
鈥淗er experience pushed her to build relationships and take on a leadership role at the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association,鈥 Das said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a perfect example of how the dialogue sets up all participants to pursue lifelong community-engaged learning.鈥
.
More News from A&S
鈥楲ittle reason to expect any meaningful check鈥 on president despite some vocal opposition to strikes on Iran
Government
