Fordham Students Give Back Through Serving the City Internship Program

By ANDREW ARMOUR

Contributing Writer

Fordham’s Serving the City internship program is an initiative that began in the summer of 2020 to provide liberal arts students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) with access to paid internships and connections to nonprofit organizations. According to the program’s website, students receive a stipend, funded by the university’s donors, for internships relating to arts and culture, health, education, and social justice.

Originally called the Cultural Engagement Internships program, Serving the City was renamed in January 2023 to reflect the types of internships available. It was created following the university’s shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic when Ford- ham partnered with the New York Historical Society and the Museum of Arts and Design.

Laura Auricchio, dean of FCLC, said that the program stemmed from a realization that the Lincoln Center campus could better utilize opportunities in the city. She added that the program allows Fordham to live up to its “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school” slogan.

“The timing was important because museums had shifted online, and they needed a lot of hands-on help, and our students saw jobs and internships disappear,” Auricchio said. “It was important for us to develop internships that would be meaningful paid experiences for liberal arts students at FCLC and FCRH.”

After discovering the need for and importance of internships at cultural institutions, Auricchio partnered with Maura Mast, dean of FCRH, to provide paid internship opportunities to students.

Auricchio and Mast shared that Fordham alumni and donors noticed that their contributions allowed students to do important work that has created a cycle of impact between Fordham, partner organizations and the New York City community.

“They’re not making coffee; they’re partnering with groups making a difference,” Mast added.

With increased funding for the program, the number of opportunities available have multiplied. According to Desirae Colvin, director of administration, communication and strategic initiatives at Fordham Lincoln Center, over 60 students have completed internships with more than 35 organizations. Approximately half of the organizations had internships available for the 2022-23 academic year.

The deans said that they believe Serving the City supports goals that align with the Jesuit mission as well as with the university’s 2021-26 Vision and Stra- tegic Plan. They also hope the program introduces students to resources like the Career Center and Handshake.

Gemma Walker, FCLC ’24 and an intern at PEN America since fall 2022, spoke about her experience working with an organization that focused on defending free expression. As part of her internship, Walker assisted with opening mail from inmates who are part of PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program.

“Getting to read handwritten stories and letters from people behind bars is just such an intimate experience, to look into lives that you don’t get to see,” she said. “That has been extremely eye-opening, and I get to spend that much more time on my internship because I don’t have to worry about working a part-time job on top of it.”

Kierstin Oliver, FCLC ’24, is currently taking part in Serving the City, having received an internship pioneering the development of teen programming at Poster House.

“I’m majoring in African and African American studies and visual art, so I like the idea of blending arts with culture,” she said. “I like getting so many young people engaged in the museum. Being able to encourage kids to make their own 1960s counterculture artwork and haikus inspired by the Made in Japan exhibit is just super awesome.”

Organizations have also expressed that they appreciate the value Serving the City interns bring. Walker’s supervisor, Jess Abolafia, program assistant for prison and justice writing at PEN America, joined PEN America a few weeks after Walker and described her as an “integral” team member. Abolafia said that Walker showed her how to answer letters and has been a soundboard for other projects the team is working on.

Dan Zauderer, founder of Grassroots Grocery, one of the partner organizations, said that “Fordham interns have helped with everything from grant writing to canvassing the community,” adding that he hopes the program will introduce students to the nonprofit world.

Melissa Kiewiet, director of development and community engagement at the Dyckman Farmhouse, echoed this sentiment and shared that the contributions from Serving the City interns have “brought more money and attention” to a “community-focused” and “social justice minded” institution.

Serving the City continues to seek new organizations and funding for future growth. Auricchio and Mast noted that the program has shaped Fordham’s offerings in the field of “experiential learning,” where students gain real-life experiences outside of the classroom.

The deans and Vice Provost Jonathan Crystal are considering creating a Center for Educational Innovation to further the opportunities for experiential learning. The goal is to hire a full-time director to connect students to Fordham opportunities like study abroad, independent research and programs like Social Innovation Collaboratory, the Fordham Center for Community Engaged Learning and Serving the City. Auricchio noted that the center “is still in the discussion stage with no plans for immediate implementation.”

“I hear a lot from liberal arts students about Gabelli’s internships, and now I can say, ‘We have a program for you,’” Mast said.

Fordham Hosts Panel in Honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day

The event discussed the rise of antisemitism and featured Holocaust survivor Eva Paddock and guests from other universities

By CHRISTINE IRLBECK Staff Writer

Fordham University, in collaboration with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and the Under-Told Stories Project of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, hosted a panel on Jan. 26 titled “Remembering: Talking About the Holocaust.” The discussion, which took place in the McNally Amphitheater, aimed to raise awareness of the increasing importance of Holocaust recognition and address how to fight Holocaust denialism.

The panel featured Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour; Magda Teter, Shvidler chair of Judaic studies at Fordham University; James Loeffler, historian and Jewish studies program director at the University of Virginia; and Linda Kinstler, author of “Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends.”

Fred de Sam Lazaro, director of the Under-Told Stories Project and a professor at the University of St. Thomas, and Peter Osnos, American journalist and founder of PublicAffairs Books, moderated the discussion.

Prior to the start of the panel, the event screened de Sam Lazaro’s PBS NewsHour segment on the book “Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued,” written by Peter Sís. The children’s book sheds light on the story of Nicolas Winton, a silent hero who helped 669 children escape Czechoslovakia by train before the country’s Nazi occupation.

Eva Paddock, a leader in education and one of Winton’s “children,” was invited as a special guest and spoke about her experiences following her escape from the Nazis. Paddock described a series of events, from bonding with her loving foster family in England to her father’s escape and the unlikely help of strangers throughout Europe.

In addition to sharing her experiences during the Holocaust, she also noted her own thoughts about modern education on the Holocaust. She explained the importance of making the Holocaust relevant to today when teaching people about it in order to “honor those lost and reframed to demonstrate the power of altruism.”

She also noted how her own narrative as a survivor through Winton’s selflessness can serve as an example of the power of one person and their kindness.

The talk began with Loeffler examining how there are different narratives, memories and legacies that were developed as a result of the Holocaust. Loeffler noted that due to these various experiences, a modern understanding of the Holocaust requires a “frame for an ethical response and understanding” of its events.

Regarding contemporary discourse on the Holocaust, Teter stressed how contextualizing the Holocaust by analyzing its “mental framework” and “processes” can “recalibrate its story to include the longer story of how the Holocaust ends and begins.”

Kinstler reflected on her own writings and referenced how current conversations need to find language to describe the Holocaust’s history during the transition from its presence as a moment to its solidification as a historical event.

Reyna Stovall, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and an attendee at the event, voiced her thoughts regarding education on Jewish studies and creating an accepting culture at Fordham after the program.

“Speaking out against antisemitism is important, but backing that with action is even more valuable at combating the underlying causes of antisemitism,” she said.

Stovall suggested mandating that the Holocaust be integrated into K-12 schools and their curricula to ensure that younger children are not only aware of the Holocaust but also the events that preceded it.

“By teaching kids from a young age not only what the Holocaust was but also its warning signs and how they can not be bystanders, I think they become better global citizens and more aware of the atrocities occurring around the world in the past and present,” she said.

Claire Seka, FCLC ’25 and another attendee at the event, was inspired to reconsider how Fordham could reinvent the student experience.

“I think Fordham should host more Jewish voices in the same way they hosted the Holocaust remembrance panel,” she said. “I think it’s very important to teach the Holocaust, and I know it’s debated whether to show the graphic images of the camps. However, it’s undeniable that we must still teach about the event, and specifically the events which led to the internment camps, in an open and detailed manner.”

The panel was livestreamed and is available online for those who could not attend the event.