Hyphen vol1

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HYPHEN

PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS CAMPUS AND THE COMMUNITY

ORGANIZING AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL ACT

LIFE LONG LEARNING HELPS PREPARE FOR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY

2016-17

Snapshots| Reflections | Stories

COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH WITH NJOP Bonner Leader Priscilla Robinson, POLS'18, leads fellow undergrads as a community organizer

CONTENTS

Photo of '16-'17 Bonner Team during Summer Training

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

PARTNERSHIP ACROSS CAMPUS AND THE COMMUNITY

ORGANIZING AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL ACT

Daniel Fidalgo Tomé, director of the Office of Service-Learning, provides an introduction and welcome to HYPHEN

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LIFE LONG LEARNING HELPS PREPARE FOR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY

Bonner Leader & Newman Civic Fellow Jodie Davis's remarkable journey

Join AmeriCorps VISTA Mary Walton and her experience with Join Together Atlantic County

Bonner Leader and New Jersey Organizing Project Community Organizer Priscilla Robinson

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POWERFUL MENTORS HELP SHAPE LIVES

Bonner Leader Madilynn (Maddy) Whittle is proof of positive mentors and encouraging women of color in STEM fields

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Activists in Residence Mike D'Aquilante & Rona Whitehead create a cup of compassion one coffee at a time

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NATIONAL SERVICE EXPERIENCES TRANSFORMS LIVES

LOOKING FORWARD

Meet Alumni Tim Schmidt, and his experience with CityYear

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HOPEFUL GROUNDS BUILT THROUGH ONE GREAT IDEA

A closing message and future perspective on where the Office of Service-Learning is going

Welcome! This is the first edition of Hyphen, a collection of snapshots, reflections and stories about service-learning and civic engagement experiences of Stockton University students. Developed by the Office of Service-Learning, we hope that these stories resonate with you.

The title of Hyphen is significant in the servicelearning and civic engagement field. Many think service-learning must always include a hyphen -this is one of the first lessons new members of the community discover. The hyphen is important both practically and symbolically. Grammatically, hyphens brings words together that have a combined meaning or purpose. They are, by definition, connectors. ServiceLearning is also about bringing people together to share their experiences and stories. While there is some debate in the field about the use of the hyphen, a common approach is that the hyphen symbolizes reflection. Reflection is an anchor in service-learning, grounding the connection between service and learning. According to Lynn Pelco’s work “Reflection: The Hyphen Between Service & Learning,” servicelearning uses reflection as a “creative and critical thinking skill(s) to help prepare students succeed in and to learn from the service experience, and to examine the larger picture and context in which the service occurs.” (Toole & Toole, 1985, p.100). This collection of stories highlight some of our reflections from this past academic year.

It is important to remember that service-learning is one form of experiential learning; internships and study abroad are also excellent examples. The Office of Service-Learning recently has focused on projectbased learning and community-based research. One of the unique aspects is that we stress the importance of understanding what an authentic relationship between students, faculty and community partners looks and feels like. Working to have a reciprocal relationship is what we strive for. It is important to raise awareness about critical issues and ensure our students are conscious of the roles they play as engaged citizens.

This is the first of many great reflections to come!

Please enjoy it and support us to celebrate the extraordinary work our students at Stockton University accomplish.

Enthusiastically,

WELCOME TO HYPHEN

Photos from Top to Bottom: (a) Sparkle Prevard engaging a student during voter registration efforts (b) Jake Brarman, Juliana Murcia, Rona Whitehead, Allie Bairan, Sharae Howell and Micah Edgehill presenting at the Civic Engagement Minigrant Showcase and Celebration of Service

Daniel Fidalgo Tomé HYPHEN

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PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS CAMPUS AND THE COMMUNITY Photo: AmeriCorps VISTA Mary Walton (L) and Jennifer Pielhau (R) of JTAC presenting the elementary school second and third place winners of the JTAC Poster Competition

Quilts are items that are both functional and beautiful in their uses. Created using many different pieces of cloth that alone provide limited purposes, assembled together quilts provide both a kaleidoscope of colors and serve a functional purpose. Partnerships between Stockton University and the South Jersey community are often such beautiful tools -- useful, colorful, and multifunctional.

One such combination that has been highly useful this year is a partnership between Stockton University’s Office of Service-Learning, as well as the Office of Residential Life, a local community partner, and a statewide organization. The statewide organization, New Jersey Campus Compact, supports civic engagement in New Jersey colleges and universities, acting as an umbrella organization to prepare informed citizens through higher education. The local community partner is Atlantic Prevention Resources, a nonprofit focused on ending drug and alcohol misuse in Atlantic County. These four partners have come together to fund and support an AmeriCorps VISTA position in the community dedicated to building capacity within the community to prevent substance abuse.

“This opportunity first came to us through New Jersey Campus Compact, which Stockton helped to found,” says Daniel Tome, Director of the Office of Service-Learning. “We looked specifically at what community partners had significant reach in the community through existing collaborations, and right away the work that APR and JTAC are doing came to mind.”

Join Together Atlantic County (JTAC) is the collaborative coalition organized by APR that brings together organizations from over 12 different sectors. These sectors bring together staff, resources and data from such diverse areas as law enforcement, K-12 schools, government and private corporations, all with the intention of combating addiction in the community.

“The coalition is focused on working smarter instead of harder. So every month we have a meeting of all the JTAC members and talk about state and county-wide campaigns, as well as consider how to approach the current opioid epidemic head-on,” says Laurie Smith, Community Initiatives Coordinator at Atlantic Prevention Resources.

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Stockton is uniquely poised to support JTAC as a community coalition and APR as a signature community partner. The relationship between Stockton and APR reaches deep and wide -- they mentor Stockton interns, hire Stockton students through the Federal Work Study Program, and work with service-learning courses every semester to give students hands-on learning experiences relevant to their coursework. Placing an AmeriCorps VISTA at JTAC was a natural fit.

“The VISTA position provides us with substantial capacity to do our work in the community. In addition, each VISTA has brought their own knowledge and understanding of drug and alcohol prevention and an understanding of the community that made their support all the more beneficial ,” says Smith.

So what role does Stockton’s Office of Residential Life play? An essential piece that makes the partnership between institution and community all the richer. Each year, the AmeriCorps VISTA is housed at Stockton’s on campus housing as an Assistant Complex Director. This is an opportunity that allows the AmeriCorps VISTA to maximize the minimal stipend they receive as a member.

And, it supports the goals of Residential Life -- the AmeriCorps VISTA has been crucial as Stockton develops Recovery Housing on campus, which every state college campus offering housing must provide by 2018.

Photo courtesy of Mary Walton featuring her cat Henry

Stockton will reach this goal by Fall, 2017, an entire year in advance. Recovery Housing includes designated housing that are substance-free and that has additional programming focused on health, wellness and recovery.

“Our AmeriCorps VISTA for 2016-2017 helped to research recovery housing across the state, as well as develop programs for when we have students living there. For 2016-2017, the VISTA will be implementing those programs, working directly with the residents of substance-free housing, and act as an additional support system within Residential Life,” says Patricia Kelly, Associate Director of Residence Education at Stockton.

Mary Walton, ‘16, was the first AmeriCorps VISTA, and just recently finished her term of service. For 2017-2018, Elizabeth Alexander, ‘17, will be joining as the AmeriCorps VISTA member. Both are graduates of the Sociology-Anthropology Program, and interested in impacting community.

“I am serving to make a difference in this community. I grew up in New Jersey, and believe that no one is responsible for the place we live but us. Many local people have personally been impacted by addiction, and of all the diseases in the world, this is one that can be prevented,” says Walton, ‘16.

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ORGANIZING AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL ACT

Bonner Leader and NJOP Organizer, Priscilla Robinson, leading a group of students conducting Community Based Research from Dr. Christina Jackson's class during the 2016 Make A Difference Day of Service

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Priscilla Robinson started at Stockton as a social work major. Taking one class changed her entire career trajectory and now she is a full time community organizer with New Jersey Organizing Project, heading into her senior year in Political Science.

“In Tools for Social Change, taught by Daniel Fidalgo Tomé, we learned that outside agencies can’t go into communities and tell them what they need. Capacity of communities need to be mobilized to tell outside agencies what and how would be of greatest benefit. This was a huge moment for me!” says Robinson.

Robinson first connected with New Jersey Organizing Project (NJOP) as a Bonner Leader who additionally received an Economic Inequality Fellowship. NJOP created this fellowship as an opportunity for communitybased research to discover the connections between natural disaster, climate change, and poverty.

In Fall, 2016, NJOP launched the Sandy Truth Project: a community based, participatory survey campaign. NJOP members and Stockton University students conducted interviews seeking primary-source, first-hand experiences about how Atlantic City residents’, and other Sandy-impacted communities, recovery from Superstorm Sandy is going four years later. Robinson and Brielle Lord, SOAN '17, a Bonner Leader liaison with NJOP working closely with Dr. Christina Jackson, Assistant Professor of Sociology/Anthropology led this effort -- organizing the vans to transport students to preparing them for knocking on doors in teams of four and five.

Lord, Robinson and Jackson partnered to make the project work -- they knew there were stories out there that weren’t being shared, mostly because people were busy living their lives and focusing on life after the storm.

“Some people slammed doors in our faces, some people told us they hadn’t been affected by Sandy.

Other people told us about how they were living in the same house that the storm had pushed through and it still wasn’t right, all these years later. The purpose of canvassing with the surveys was to get a sense of how many people are still struggling with recovery four years after the storm, and we found many of them,” says Robinson.

Jackson trained her Introduction to Sociology students about what to expect, and to not be surprised when people were wary. “Having my students work with NJOP was one of the most beneficial experiential learning opportunities for an introduction to sociology course. Being hands on, walking in affected neighborhoods, and hearing directly from those affected caused them to question their exposure to social problems and the disaster relief politics with the State of New Jersey. Moreover, they learned that even though they were not affected as much, recovery efforts are filled with power and politics with respect to fellow residents coming “home.”

After the canvassing, students returned to Our Lady Star of the Sea, a local church which facilitated as a space for reflection sessions led by Jackson, Lord and Robinson. Through reflection, students were able to talk about what they observed, people’s reactions, and the stories they told. Many students were surprised by the disconnect between the services available and the information typically known by community members.

Stockton faculty’s approach of treating students as colleagues made the partnership easy and the outcomes significant.

The New Jersey Organizing Project will be releasing the Sandy Truth Project report in late September of this year. The data collected will be processed and used by New Jersey Organizing Project to inform decision makers in government and the community that even though Sandy happened almost five years ago, it still has continuing impact on people’s lives. Organizing, for Robinson, means "tapping into the collective power of the community so that people can participate in the decision-making processes that affect their daily lives and take action for real solutions."

Above: Dr. Christina Jackson receiving the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Engagement Award from Dr. Harvey Kesselman (L) & Dr. Tom Grites (R) for her Community Based Research with NJOP. Photo courtesy of Susan Allen

The partnership between NJOP as the community partner and Jackson as the faculty member looking to provide experiential learning for her students resulted in this massive undergraduate research project being presented at the Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting on Community Engagement and Service-Learning by Lord and Sociology/Anthropology and Criminal Justice faculty.

“So many people feel strongly about their communities -- good, bad and ugly. I am interested in making sure that people come together and take action to win on the issues that they care about.

How can NJOP help to build power in communities and focus on winning strategies?” says Robinson.

Robinson’s exposure to community-based research, community organizing and hands-on learning has been transformational for her personally and professionally. Always interested in collective power, she is now aware of how collective power manifests itself both on and off campus.

"We're grateful for our partnership with Stockton Service-Learning, and that we can work together to make sure that community members can get a seat at the table and make decisions about the policies and practices that impact their lives," said Amanda Devecka-Rinear, Director of NJOP. HYPHEN

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LIFELONG LEARNING HELPS PREPARE FOR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY

Many people come to college to get an education. They head to classes, do their work, and go home to their resident halls. For Jodie Davis, however, education was something that was always going to happen.

It was living that she is interested in -- living fully, experiencing life in all its iterations.

“I grew up in Jersey City. There was never a question in my family about getting an education, but I recognize that wasn’t the same expectation for a lot of people I went to school with. I always wanted more -to travel, to experience things, to learn about life. My goal is to bring it back to Jersey City someday and change the place I grew up,” says Davis, a rising senior at Stockton University.

Davis transferred to Stockton after two years at New Jersey City University. While NJCU was close to home, it didn’t afford her an opportunity to expand her horizons. At Stockton, she began studying Biochemistry with the intention of going onto to medical school and becoming a public health doctor. Davis recently changed her major to Public Health with a minor in Chemistry, recognizing that there are many ways to impact a community.

“I want to promote positive health in the community, and I thought that the only way to do that was to bring my talents and skills back as a doctor. After being at Stockton and working in the Office of Service-Learning, I realized that there are many ways to make change. Being in the medical field is one way, but so is education and research. Doctors and educators need researchers to know what practices are most effective,” says Davis.

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She was encouraged by mentors in her life to apply for the Stockton Board of Trustees Fellowship for Distinguished Students during her Junior year and received notification that she had been funded $1000.

She will be conducting research with Anthony Dissen, Instructor of Health Science on the correlation between food insecurity and low graduation rates at Atlantic City High School. Davis is interested in nutrition, access to food and its effect on learning. There are overlapping needs in both Atlantic City and Jersey City, and the adversities that students face are often the same.

“I’m involved with public health because of my community and upbringing,” says Davis. “Growing up in Jersey City, N.J., I’ve seen the best and worst of people.

Many families were forced to skip out on paying bills for months in order to buy their prescriptions. Even after buying their prescriptions, I noticed that my community still didn’t have the appropriate health care resources for better treatment,” she says.

Her need to live life to its fullest was again realized this summer when her mentors again encouraged her to apply for a fully funded scholarship with United Planet to travel to Ghana for eight weeks. Davis had the opportunity to work on global health projects, and was the only student to receive the full scholarship, which is marked for Bonner Leaders and Scholars nationwide.

“When I was in Ghana, I provided healthcare to residents in the city of Ho. I worked at a teaching hospital with their healthcare team. I was able to see different parts of the hospital, including the ER, pediatrics, and surgery. It was an unbelievable experience,” says Davis.

All of these experiences work together to provide Davis with more than just an undergraduate education, but a love of lifelong learning.

“I’m passionate about empowering the younger generation, especially the Black community,” Davis says.

“I believe our community needs more role models and I’m willing to do anything to help with that. Hopefully in the long run, I could be a mentor to girls in the inner city.”

Photos clockwise: (a) Jodie Davis playing with child during her United Planet internship in Ghana, (b) Jodie providing educational resources while leading a Democracy Café Dialogue, (c) Bonner Leaders Mackenzie Porch, Jodie Davis and Flor Cruz-Morillo during a Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break Trip to North Carolina, (d) Selfie time while at the Women's March on Washington, D.C. with Jessica Paszko, Sparkle Prevard, Maddy Whittle, Jodie Davis, HYPHEN

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POWERFUL MENTORS HELP SHAPE LIVES Madilynn (Maddy) Whittle, CSIS ‘18, was working as a Bonner Leader in the Office of Service-Learning when one of the staff pointed out a fellowship based in Philadelphia she might want to consider applying for. It was with Interactive Mechanics, a digital design firm that partners with cultural and educational organizations on design, development, user experience, and digital strategy. A small tech company in Philadelphia, Interactive Mechanics was looking to build the capacity for representation and inclusion in the technology field, and use it as a mutual learning experience for the fellows and the existing team.

“I wasn’t sure when I first saw it. I questioned if I was ready for that. I am studying Computer Science and Information Systems at Stockton, and my skills are diverse. I am interested in graphic design, programming, and network systems, but I wasn’t sure. I’m really glad I went for it. I learned so much Photo: Maddy Whittle '18, Computer Science Major from the fellowship, and met so many great people,” says Whittle.

Whittle worked September through May on a portfolio-building project relating to one of Interactive Mechanics’ areas of interest: higher education, museums, arts and culture. Her experience was focused on developing both hard and soft skills, providing hands-on technical guidance in addition to one-on-one mentorship and the opportunity to discuss current issues in the tech workspace. She also started to build a network in the technology industry. Interestingly, Whittle was the only undergraduate student who received a fellowship -- the others were all in graduate school.

“I traveled once a month to Philadelphia to meet with the other fellows and my mentor. We received different trainings each month, and at the end we presented our work. My mentor was Michael Tedeschi, one of the founders of the company, and he pushed me to do my best work. I knew I could always do better,” says Whittle.

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Photos: (L-R) Maddy Whittle (provided by Susan Allen), Interactive Mechanics fellows Candace Worthen, Maddy Whittle and Ebonie Butler (courtesy photo), Maddy Whittle (far right) with the Stockton Tech Trek/AAUW Professional Women's Night

With the support of Tedeschi, Whittle set clear goals and built projects that developed her skills in design, front-end development, and back-end development. The emphasis was on deep learning over time rather than quick, shiny demos, so goals did not necessarily need to connect to a comprehensive and complete project.

Whittle’s primary project was an interactive game based on the life of Mae Jemison, the first female African-American astronaut. In researching Jemison’s life, Whittle discovered that she wanted to study dance at one point in her life. There were several points where major decisions could have led her to different paths, and ultimately she studied engineering and medicine.

“Boys and girls of color need to know that there are many possible paths in life, and it is all about the decisions we make. Who is instrumental in someone’s life also matters, and the positive influences that a mentor brings. With this kind of “choose your own adventure” game, you can see that Mae Jemison’s life didn’t automatically lead her to becoming an astronaut,” says Whittle.

Mentors have always played important roles in Whittle’s life. At Stockton, there were important people for her in the Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program, in Computer Services, where she worked one summer, the American Association of University Women’s TechTrek summer program as a camp counselor for two years, and in the Office of Service-Learning, where Whittle serves as a Bonner Leader. As Maddy enters her fourth year of college, she is looking forward to mentoring other Bonner Leaders coming in their first year.

“For me, mentors are people who are looking out for you. They know what you are interested in and steer you in the right direction. They are the people you go to when you are about to make a big decision, and what to think about it out loud. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for people in my life who had my best interest at heart the way my mentors do,” says Whittle.

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HOPEFUL GROUNDS BUILT THROUGH ONE GOOD IDEA “It really doesn’t take long to go through 1,000 coffee cups,” Mike D’Aquilante (above) says of the cafe’s instant popularity, not just for java but companionship too." Photo credit: Edward Lee AC Press Staff Photographer

Hopeful Grounds, the pop-up, pay-what-you-can cafe at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, is founded on one good idea: dignity.

“When you are serving someone coffee and pastries, when you are talking with people, and listening to their stories -- this is all a familiar transaction, a familiar gesture that is both equitable and motivated by grace at the same time,” says Mike D'Aquilante, Director of Facilities at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission and Activist in Residence, 2016-2017.

D’Aquilante heard about the Activist in Residency opportunity through the Office of Service-Learning in 2015, when he first joined the AC Rescue Mission as the volunteer coordinator. It appealed to his sense of social justice, and sounded like a great opportunity to reach communities not connected with the Mission previously.

He applied and became the AIR for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Rona Whitehead, AIR during the 2015-2016 academic year, now teaches a service-learning course called Tools for Social Change. She decided to work directly with the AIR, and brought D’Aquilante into her class to brainstorm with students about what they feel passionate about and hope to change.

“When Mike talked about the Rescue Mission and the need for a neutral ground to connect with people, you could see students hadn’t really thought about that before. They became very excited by the end of the semester when they had helped to create this safe space,” says Whitehead.

D’Aquilante had researched other models of pop-up (not permanent, the cafe operates two days per week) pay-as-you-can (there is a jar left on the counter in case people want to contribute funds, which are used to buy cups and coffee) cafes, some connected with social service agencies that provide support to the homeless community, some in urban areas where people may need a meal. With a cafe, unlike a soup kitchen or a meal line, there is a different atmosphere. It’s more relaxed, the relationship less formal, and adds lots of opportunity for conversation. That makes all the difference when considering a person’s dignity in seeking support. Also, drinking a cup of coffee and having a danish is very normalizing -- everyone from the neighborhood comes into the cafe, residents of the Rescue Mission and residents from around the block. It is not a pop-up cafe for homeless people; no one’s ID is checked at the door.

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Photo Top: a decorated cup - a signature feature of the cafe.

Bottom: Hopeful Grounds Chalkboard Art.

This was a revolutionary idea for the students and full of potential. Whitehead’s students immediately began to consider the logistics. Where would the coffee come from? It is mostly donated by community members. What about equipment? The purchases for equipment and supplies, such as coffee urns and table coverings, came from an adjunct faculty grant Whitehead was able to apply for prior to the beginning of the semester.

Where would pastries come from for the customers?

Students reached out to local StarBucks and bakeries for food recovered items, often day-old cakes, cookies and muffins.

This led to students organizing a Food Recovery Network Chapter on campus. Who would serve on Wednesdays and Thursdays when the cafe was open? Students would, of course. Over 100 students, most from Whitehead’s class, but others from the university, have served at Hopeful Grounds since it’s opening. Most are in a service-learning course, and provided support at the cafe for their service projects.

Hopeful Grounds was D'Aquilante’s most significant contribution during his tenure as AIR, though certainly not his only one. He also brought a special speaker onto campus -artist and professor Willie Baronet, who showed the signs that he collected from homeless people. He has recently produced a documentary about it called Signs of Humanity. Baronet explores in his work the interconnected threads of compassion, humanity and homelessness.

During the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, D’Aquilante also hosted an Oxfam Dinner model, where everyone is assigned a social class level upon entering the venue, and eat their meals accordingly. This means sometimes people eat only rice and water while sitting on the floor, and others sit at a table and eat a full meal. D’Aquilante used that time to help participants reflect on their privileges and the inherent inequality often seen around the world through dialogue. “Little identifies that inequity as quickly as access to food and water,” D’Aquilante says.

“A big part of my activist in residency was the act of connecting the Stockton students to fundamental community needs that are going on right outside their doorstep. Many students come to college to get an education, but I really feel that Stockton students come also to get involved, and to make a difference,” says D’Aquilante.

The Activist in Residence position is a one-year appointment, and D’Aquilante will continue to connect the AC Rescue Mission with Stockton beyond 2017 through service opportunities and mentorship. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Stockton will welcome Travis Love as the AIR. Love will focus on building the capacity of area youth through arts and humanities.

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NATIONAL SERVICE EXPERIENCES TRANSFORM LIVES Call it what you want -- Gap Years, National Service, or Service Years. Students at university campuses across the country are increasingly choosing to complete a long-term service commitment before heading to graduate school or into the workplace. Stockton University alumnus Tim Schmidt, ‘16, decided to dedicate a year of his life to national service by becoming an AmeriCorps City Year member. “I studied Political Science at Stockton and I hope to go to law school. However, my work with the Office of Service-Learning helped me to realize that time spent in service to others is crucial to who I am,” says Schmidt.

During the 2016-2017 year he was a City Year member at Grover Washington Middle School in Philadelphia. City Year members mentor students and support them in academic success.

It was such a transformative experience, Schmidt decided to stay on and become a City Year Team Leader for the 2017-2018 year.

“I am interested in becoming the change that I wanted to see happen in this community. I don’t just serve in Philadelphia, I live Tim Schmidt, POLS '16 in front of Stockton's in Philadelphia as well. So I’m invested in becoming successful,” Declaration of Independence says Schmidt.

City Year is a member of the AmeriCorps national service network, and receives support from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), community partners and individual donations. Since 1988, members have been focused on providing high-impact student, classroom and school-wide support to help students stay in school and graduate on track. They also prepare students for college and career success, and work in 27 urban, high-poverty communities across the US and some international affiliates.

CNCS is the umbrella for several programs in addition to City Year, including National Civilian Community Corps, AmeriCorps and VISTA, which stands for Volunteers in Service to America.

“I wanted to complete another year of service after graduating my first year because I see how important the program is, and the difference that it makes at Grover Washington Middle School. City Year members are near-peer mentors, and are able to motivate learners in a different way than teachers are. I’m proud to be a Team Leader for that,” says Schmidt.

In addition to receiving a living stipend while serving, people in national service programs often receive a scholarship or education award upon completion. Programs of the CNCS receive a Segal Award, correlated to their number of hours of service. For someone in a position like Schmidt’s, this could mean almost $5000 that he can apply directly to students loans or future professional development/education.

“I will receive a second Segal Award because of my additional year of service. That means I will have almost $10,000 if I decide to apply to law school next year, plus the fantastic skills -- both practical and fundamental -I have developed while serving,” says Schmidt.

Every year, Stockton University has students who chose to enter a service year after graduating. Some are motivated because they want the experience, some are motivated to continue to serve, and some are interested in building transferable skills. For all of them, the opportunity is transformational.

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LOOKING FORWARD Thank you for reflecting on our past year. 20172018 is going to be a foundational year for many of our new programs and a year of strengthening our current programs. Our Inaugural Faculty Fellow, Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Erbaugh and our newest Activist in Resident, Travis Love, will both be exploring new ventures this year. They will be working closely with our service-learning students, faculty, community partners to create a richer and deeper experience for Stockton University stakeholders.

The Office of Service-Learning is looking to expand our Bonner Leaders program to welcome in a new first year student cohort as well as introduce our new initiative, The First Generation Impact Collaborative.

This Collaborative is to ensure that our Federal Work Study students, of which there are over 250 each semester, maximize their career opportunities. This is done by strategically matching them with area community partners that will act as co-educators in building their skills and preparing them for the workplace. This long time goal is being realized through the support of a grant from the Provost’s Diversity Committee and the Office of the Provost.

The Office of Service-Learning looks forward to working closely with the Service-Learning & Civic Engagement teaching circle to host the Symposium on Service-Learning in May 2018.

Finally, Service-Learning is excited about the opportunities for collaboration offered by Stockton’s expansion into Atlantic City. Atlantic City is a space rich with potential and opportunity.

Top Photo (L to R): Bonner Leaders Class of 2017 Tara Elia, Brielle Lord, Caroline Fanning, Liz Alexander, Billy Humphries, Andre Fox-Rosales Bottom Photo (L to R): Bonner Leaders Sharaé Howell, Sparkle Prevard, and Micah Edgehill during our Civic Engagement MiniGrant Showcase & Celebration of Service

Again, our sincere thanks.

Cheers, Daniel Fidalgo Tomé Thank you to the students, alumni, faculty, staff and community partners for making this work possible. Special thanks are in order for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Democracy Project, American Association of University Women's TechTrek, Atlantic City Rescue Mission & Hopeful Grounds Pop-up Café, Atlantic Prevention Resources & Join Together Atlantic County, Campus Compact, Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Interactive Mechanics, New Jersey Campus Compact & AmeriCorps VISTA Program, New Jersey Organizing Project, Office of Development & Alumni Affairs, Office of Residential Life, Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Political Engagement Project, School of General Studies, and United Planet HYPHEN

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