CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CONTINUED . . .

“I wanted to have a greater discussion about Black joy and experience it with some of my other classmates. I also wanted to get a deeper understanding of what Black joy truly is and how it contributes to shared cultural experiences in the Black community,” Jackson said.

Local artists came to her seminar the first day and talked about their experiences with Black joy before painting T-shirts with stencils. The second day, the seminar visited Cream and Sugar, a Black-owned coffee shop, and heard from the owner about what it is like to be a Black woman entrepreneur. Students in the seminar asked all their guests what Black joy meant to them and if they believed everyone could experience it.

“My biggest takeaway from the seminar was how important it is to experience Black joy and how Black communities continue to organically create joy in a multitude of ways,” Jackson said.

Fellow sophomore Anna Kunkel had a similar experience in Coming to America: Immigration in the 21st Century.

“I have gained a great appreciation for the impact of immigrants on our own communities and their decisive role in molding American culture. I am very grateful for the experience we had during the Civic Engagement Seminars and the opportunity to learn outside the classroom,” Kunkel said.

Learning about the world outside the classroom is at the core of the program, Bolton said.

“I want the kids to have a sense that what they are learning in the classroom doesn’t end in the classroom. There is a dialogue with the needs and challenges of the world and it can be easy to turn a blind eye, but I want the kids to think about the role and responsibility they have,” Bolton said.

Bolton, Glum, and Francis were all happy with the outcome of the Civic Engagement Seminars, which finally was able to meet the original vision for which the E.E. Ford Foundation grant was awarded. Bolton said it was the beginning of the final version— but not the end.

Glum agreed, adding, “We always talk about Seven Hills culture as being one of continuous improvement and certainly that will be a part of this. I don’t think we will ever have a year where we say this is it, this is the final product.”