Last month, 16 new students were accepted into Compass to Personal Success (CPS), a three year leadership development program for Rochester undergraduates coordinated by the Rochester Center for Community Leadership (RCCL).

The program is founded in the Social Change Model of Leadership, which empowers students as agents of positive social change by engaging them in community service, leadership, and civic engagement opportunities. The CPS program emphasizes experiential learning and personal development as a means to enhance leadership skills and capabilities.

During their three years in the program, students will participate in workshops, engage in peer-to-peer mentoring, reflect formally on their participation in leadership activities, coordinate and complete a service project, internship, or on campus program, and more. From these activities, the CPS program will support these students in discovering their purpose and passion, increasing their self-efficacy, reflecting on and celebrating their community and creating meaningful connections within it.

The students accepted into this year’s program are:

Naba Ali ’15

Gabrielle Ansani ’15

Alena Comella ’16

Robert Dowd ’15

Joo (Jenny) Hee ’16

Meng Huang ’15

Suparerk (Joe) Kamaranon ’15

Yunjie (Kelly) Liang ’15

Samantha Lish ’16

Mark Mullock ’15

Matthew Ning ’15

Angela Remus ’16

Ruben Anthony Salazar ’16

Wayne Wu ’16

Ni Zheng ’15

Huiqi Zhong ’14

To learn more about the program, visit CPS’s website or email Molly Sarubbi at msarubbi@admin.rochester.edu.

One democrat, one republican. One sophomore, one senior. Two internships with competing congressional election campaigns.  Cohabiting in student association government.  Bitter rivals?  Hardly.

Rishi Sharma ’15, an applied mathematics and history major who has an interest in education policy, and Alina Czekai ’13, a health policy major and legal studies minor, have dedicated their time this election season to local congressional campaigns.  Sharma, communications co-chair of the Students’ Association, is currently working as an intern on Congresswoman Louise Slaughter’s campaign, while Czekai, Students’ Association vice president, volunteers with County Executive Maggie Brooks. Republican Brooks and Democrat Slaughter are running competing campaigns for New York’s 25th District seat in the House of Representatives.

“It didn’t take a lot of encouragement for me to get involved. Just looking up what Louise had done, I knew she was someone I actually believed in and someone I wanted to get involved with,” said Sharma.

Specific aspects of Brooks’ style of campaigning stood out to Czekai.

“One thing that I really admire from Maggie’s campaign is her emphasis on positive campaigning, campaigning with the truth,” said Czekai.

While on opposite side of the campaign trails, Sharma and Czekai have both been interning on a regular basis since September.

“Alina and I do similar things, just on opposite ends,” said Sharma. “It’s not a consistent thing I do every single day because the campaign moves so fast.  I get exposure to a lot of different things.”

“I’ve been lucky to see a full perspective and view of what it is like to run a campaign,” said Czekai. “It’s all about seeing what your constituents need, what their problems are, and figuring out problem-solving strategies. Going to the people and saying ‘I know these are your concerns, I actually feel them too.  Let’s work together and figure out what we can do.’”

This personal focus of campaigning is pervasive on both sides of the race.

“Something that I know Louise’s staff does really well is campaign to people in a very personal way.  It’s taught me the importance of listening, really reaching out to your constituency well and making sure that their voices are heard,” said Sharma.

“It’s all about outreach, no matter what level of government you’re involved in, whether it’s student government or congressional,” said Czekai.

As a Co-Chair of Communications in SA Government, Sharma has experienced many things in Congresswoman Slaughter’s office that are applicable to his role in student government.

“If you want to be successful in politics, whether it’s in student government or in Congress like Louise is doing, you have to make sure you have a personal relationship with your constituents. She values that, I value that, a lot of student government leaders value that. It’s my job to think of creative ways and techniques about how to get the message out,” said Sharma.

Before serving as SA vice president, Czekai worked as executive historian and deputy speaker.

“All of these roles have taught me how to be comfortable in my leadership style.  Maggie really has a focus on keeping things positive and keeping things forward-looking and optimistic.  I think that definitely applies to my student government leadership role. If there’s a problem, we’re going to get through it together and we’re going to move forward,” said Czekai.

Sharma and Czekai are unusual not only because they are working on competing election campaigns, but because at the end of the day, they both come home to student government.

“Our roles work really closely together. Student government is nothing without strong communications,” said Czekai, noting the importance of reaching out to students about upcoming changes or new initiatives, and collecting information that will be helpful to the senate and executive branch.

Sharma and Czekai take their campaign internships for what they are, and leave their differences at the door.

“We use it as a point to joke about within our friendship. It doesn’t conflict with anything we have to do. We still work really well together, we are still great friends, in fact, probably even better friends,” said Sharma. “It’s funny how Maggie and Louise are competing and Alina and I are competing, but you know, it’s a healthy competition.”

Amid the good humored teasing, the two are careful to respect the integrity of each campaign.

“We don’t want to be the one that reveals any information that might give the other a competitive advantage,” said Sharma.

“I’m excited to talk to him after the race.  I think it will be really cool to see his perspective,” said Czekai.

The combination of roles possessed by both Sharma and Czekai has undoubtedly made their experiences uniquely valuable.  But on a more universal level, any motivated Rochester student can take advantage of these types of political experiences, and many have.

“I really encourage students who consider themselves to be politically minded or interested in politics to volunteer on a campaign.  I thought I understood politics and political issues, but you really don’t until you learn about it from that perspective,” said Czekai. “Whatever political side students are on, I definitely encourage them to get involved.”

With presidential election preparations in full swing, on-campus political groups are getting their share of the limelight. Local Rochester news station WROC-TV News 8 featured both the College Republicans and the College Democrats as they gathered to watch their party’s National Convention.

On Thursday, August 30, the College Republicans held an event to celebrate Mitt Romney’s acceptance of the Republican nomination. The News 8 report featured interviews with several of the club’s officers including Trevor Parke ’14, Jaclyn Reinhart ’14, and Kelly Kasle ’14 about their reaction to Romney’s speech and candidacy. Students cited concerns about the economy and Obama’s health care plan as motivators for their support of Romney in the upcoming election.

Not to be outdone, the College Democrats held their own event Thursday, September 6, to view the Democratic National Convention, where President Obama accepted the party’s nomination. According to the News 8 segment, more than 50 students attended the event. The students discussed legislation supported by Obama that has positively affected their lives, including the Affordable Health Care Act and financial aid legislation. The clip featured Interviews with students Andrew Cutillo ’13, president of the College Democrats, club member Jenny Hansler ’15, and Anthony Salazar ’15.

Rochester’s thriving partisan organizations offer opportunities for students on both the red and blue sides of the November election. Additionally, students who would like to be involved in a non-partisan political organization can apply to be part of the Committee for Political Engagement (previously R’ World, R’ Vote), supported by the Rochester Center for Community Leadership.

Erica Messner ’12(T5) is an intern in University Communications. Messner, who majored in political science and music, was a member of the Urban Fellows Class of 2010 and also served as an Election Fellow, also a RCCL program.

Photo Credit: Emilien Auneau via Stock.XCHNG at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1262660.

“The Urban Fellows is a 10 week fellowship that places students in community organizations with the goal of not only educating them about urban issues but also figuring out ways that they can be agents of change,” said Jenna Dell, assistant director of the RCCL and director of the Urban Fellows Program.

With fellowships in area non-profits and civic organizations focused on urban education, crime and justice, access to food, housing, and community arts in addition to weekly seminar discussions, students will develop an understanding of the city of Rochester that goes beyond abstract discussion. Junior Jonathan Johnson, a political science and anthropology major and current Urban Fellow, looks forward to the opportunity to actively engage with the issues covered in the program.

“There is a vast difference between reading about an adventure in a book and actually going on the adventure. The Urban Fellows Program supplements the theoretical knowledge I have, and that drive, with the frustrations and the challenges of going into a community and learning hands-on,” said Johnson.

This year’s Urban Fellows are placed in a variety of organizations in Rochester: Writers and Books, the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, the Southeast Neighborhood Service Center, and Flower City Habitat for Humanity, to name a few. Johnson will spend his summer at Community Place, an organization that provides social services and programming for the Northeast quadrant of Rochester.

“My focus is on youth ages two to 10 in conjunction with their parents through the SEEDS program (Strengthening, Eating and Exercising Daily Successfully). We try and promote activities that encourage families to work together and to learn about nutrition, education, and health in a holistic way,” said Johnson. Throughout the fellowship, Johnson will work with Community Place planning, organizing, and assisting with youth development programs.

“We sponsor programs like Urban Farming where community members can receive free fruits and vegetables as well as learn to grow their own. We also sponsor other initiatives from mountain biking programs to walking clubs to free cooking classes,” said Johnson.

Junior Jordan Shapiro, a history and international relations major, will complete her Urban Fellowship with the Genesee Land Trust and Project Hope.

“I am very interested in sustainability as well as land preservation and protecting the earth, so I have been interested in a lot of the projects the Genesee Land Trust is doing,” said Shapiro.

During her fellowship, Shapiro will be specifically working to encourage citizen use of a park on the corner of Clifford Avenue and Conkey Avenue, built by Project Hope.

“We’re trying to boost the neighborhood and get people to feel like the park is really theirs,” said Shapiro. “There’s going to be a camp with a landscape apprentice program, as well as an after school program for kids in the neighborhood.”

Shapiro hopes the Urban Fellows program will prepare her for a potential career in civil rights law.

“I think the Urban Fellows Program is really beneficial for students because it gives you the opportunity to be forced out of your comfort zone. One of the things that I hope to improve is my ability to communicate with all different types of people,” said Shapiro.

As director of the Urban Fellows program, Dell strives to build a lasting connection between students and the city of Rochester.

“The broader goal is to have students continue being involved with their communities in some way,” said Dell. “We were intentional this year in recruiting underclassmen for Urban Fellows in the hope that this would be a formative experience for them and they would continue it throughout their college career.”

Now several weeks into the program, this year’s Urban Fellows are beginning to appreciate the unique opportunity they will have this summer.

“At the University of Rochester, we are a sphere of very intellectual, very driven, and very motivated individuals who have a variety of interests. It can be very challenging when you’re situated at the University to connect with the community. The Urban Fellows program is not only necessary, but essential to actually developing a relationship between the University and the Rochester community, as well as helping students understand that relationship and why it is so important,” said Johnson.

Article written by Erica Messner ’12(T5), an intern in University Communications. Messner, who majored in political science and music, was a member of the Urban Fellows Class of 2010 and also served as an Election Fellow, also a RCCL program.

Photo: Urban Fellows Jonathan Johnson, a University of Rochester student, and Alaura Daniels, a Nazareth College student, participate in a discussion during an Urban Housing seminar at the Charles Settlement House in Northwest Rochester. Photo courtesy of Erica Messner.

For the 2012-2013 academic year, 10 UR students will be selected as the inaugural participants in the Meliora Leaders program. The RCCL is currently accepting applications for the program, which are due Monday, April 23, 2012.

Students selected for the program will be eligible to receive a scholarship worth $2,350 toward their educational expenses at the University. In order to receive this education award, students will have to complete a service project in the Rochester community, logging at least 300 hours of service. A portion of these hours will include in-depth training in leadership and civic engagement.

Program Benefits:

• An education award of $1,175 will be provided by the U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service through New York Campus Compact. This award will be matched by the UR Financial Aid Office, yielding a total benefit to each UR student of $2,350.
• In-depth training in civic engagement and leadership.
• Regular supervision by a member of the host organization where the service is performed.
• Regular advisement by faculty or staff in the College (at least once per month).
• Recognition by University and community.

Program Requirements:

• Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Students must be in good academic and disciplinary standing.
• Students must complete 300 hours of service during the 2012-2013 academic year.
• Students must attend a program orientation and at least two program meetings.
• Students attend at least eight training events for leadership and civic engagement during the year.
• Students meet with a faculty or staff adviser at least once a month.
• Students post monthly reflections on Blackboard (my.rochester.edu)

Program Guidelines:

• Preference will be given to students who have already participated in leadership training, such as the Paychex Leadership Institute, Compass to Personal Success, or the Rochester Urban Fellows program, and to students who have already demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to community service.
• Proposed service projects should meet needs identified by the community, and should yield measurable results.
• Proposed service projects should be predominantly focused on direct service (providing service directly to those in need), but may also include some indirect service components (expanding the capacity of an organization to provide services through research, fundraising, publicity, etc.).
• Preference will be given to service projects in the areas of job development and placement, or after-school programs.
• Preference will be given to projects that promise to involve other students in the community, in addition to the Meliora Leader.

Application Process:

Interested students should submit a cover letter, resume, official transcript, and two letters of recommendation to the Rochester Center for Community Leadership by April 23, 2012.

Rochester Center for Community Leadership

Wilson Commons 500

CPU Box 270443

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY 14627-0443

The cover letter should be not more than three pages in length, and should address the following points:

• What has prepared you to make a sustained, intensive commitment to service in the Rochester community? Be sure to highlight any prior leadership training, and any noteworthy community service efforts.
• Why are you confident that you will be able to manage the time commitment necessary to satisfy the service requirement for the Meliora Leaders program?
• What community-based project do you propose to undertake through your service as a Meliora Leader?
• What community need(s) will be met by the proposed project?
• What are the anticipated outcomes of this service project?
• How will the outcomes be measured (e.g. number of youth tutored)?
• How might you engage other students in the community through your service?

Letters of recommendation:

1. One letter should be from a staff member at the community organization where you propose to complete your service, and should document his or her commitment to supervise your service project throughout the coming academic year.

2. One letter should be from a faculty or staff member in the College who can attest to your capacity to undertake the proposed project, based on your past academic performance and your co-curricular pursuits. This letter should document that the recommender is committed to advising you throughout the course of your service as a Meliora Leader. This includes meeting with you at least once a month during the academic year to discuss your service.

Students are invited and encouraged to consult with staff in the RCCL to answer any questions about this opportunity. Please email community.leadership@rochester.edu, call 275-4085, or visit http://www.rochester.edu/college/rccl/meliora for more information.

Article and photo courtesy of the Rochester Center for Community Leadership.

“It’s something that becomes part of you as you do it. I can’t really imagine life without doing it,” says the English and anthropology double major.

When she arrived at Rochester, Nielsen was happy to find a similar opportunity for community service with the student chapter of Habitat for Humanity and the group’s alternative spring break trip. During the trip, students work together with a family who agrees to contribute 400 “sweat equity” hours toward building a new home. The project includes a small, interest-free mortgage the family will have 20 years to repay.

This year, Nielsen is leading the Habitat trip to Greensboro, N.C., and is looking forward to connecting with a new community and the homeowners she will help.

“You’re physically building a house for someone, and you are putting your time, effort, sweat into it. It’s definitely rewarding, much more rewarding than just writing a check,” she says, “You get total satisfaction out of knowing, ‘Oh, their bedroom? I built that bedroom.’”

As Rochester undergraduates take a week off classes in mid-March for the academic calendar’s annual spring break, several students like Nielsen will be heading to less conventional destinations. Designed as an opportunity for travel and service, alternative spring break trips have been organized by University student groups for nearly two decades. In addition to traveling to sites across the country, several students plan to undertake service programs in Rochester, in conjunction with the University’s M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and the Rochester Center for Community Leadership. For many, the service trips are a welcome change from the stereotypical vacation- oriented spring break experience.

“The service trips in which our students participate are beneficial in at least two fundamental ways: they broaden the perspectives of our students, and they strengthen communities by building social capital,” says Glenn Cerosaletti, director of the Rochester Center for Community Leadership, which helps groups conceive and implement their service projects.

Since the trips are planned and carried out by students they provide “a transformative leadership experience,” he says. “This is about a reciprocal partnership in which students and community members get to know each other and learn from one another.” This spring, in addition to the Habitat trip to North Carolina, student groups will travel to Baltimore and Boston.

For the past 12 years, the Catholic Newman Community has traveled to Baltimore to tutor and mentor children at Holy Angels Catholic School and serve meals at the Corpus Christi food shelter. The project is the longest-running such effort on campus.

“Our goal is just to expose our students to urban poverty,” says Leah Gregorio ’12, one of the leaders of this year’s trip who has participated since her sophomore year. “Each night we have a reflection time and those always blossom into discussions of social justice and urban poverty.”

Though the students live simply and stay at a parish church, they have plenty of time to see Baltimore, and the last day is reserved for a cultural trip to Washington, D.C. Gregorio, a political science major from Wethersfield, Conn., and her fellow leaders aim to continue similar service projects in Rochester when they return, “just so our volunteers can see that these problems aren’t unique to the city of Baltimore, that they exist in our communities here at school and communities back at home.”

Newman, Habitat, Roteract, Circle K, and other service-oriented organizations can receive logistical and financial support for their projects from the Community Service Network, a student-run umbrella organization for service groups. The network partnered with Alpha Phi Omega, a coed community service fraternity, for a trip to Boston.

“Our goal is to introduce students who are participating in the trip to different types of community service,” says Mallory Laboulaye ’12 (T5), president of the network and Alpha Phi Omega.

“This is an opportunity for [students] to dedicate a whole week of service to people they don’t know and just to see that they’re not isolated individuals in society,” says Laboulaye, a neuroscience major from Horseheads, N.Y.

Whether groups venture to a different country or volunteer in Rochester, those who go on alternative spring break say the experiences prove to be fun and rewarding.

“These are students who are giving up their time, a whole week where they could be going on vacation, going home, relaxing, and they’re giving up their time to help the environment, or people, and I think it just says a lot about the Rochester students,” says Gregorio. “It’s a lot of kids who spend their spring break—when many other people are going to Cancun or doing things like that—just really being selfless.”

Article written for the March-April issue of Rochester Review by Maya Dukmasova, a Take 5 Scholar at the University of Rochester and an intern at University Communications. She majored in philosophy and religion and focused her Take 5 year on researching the way American media covers current events in the Muslim world. An aspiring journalist, Dukmasova has freelanced for Rochester Magazine, the Phoenix New Times, and the Daily News Egypt in Cairo. She also maintains two blogs, one devoted to culture and society in Russia (www.out-of-russia.com) and the other to photography (www.myorientalism.com).

In the Photo: Leah Gregorio ’12 (left) and Jessica Nielsen ’14 are helping organize alternative spring break trips, during which students work on community and service projects at sites around the country. Photo courtesy of Adam Fenster, University Communications.

Both awardees were chosen for their commitment to building strong connections between the University and the Rochester community. CACHED was praised for providing visible leadership for the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s diversity and community outreach initiatives, while Fetter was recognized for his work with the Urban Strings program at Rochester City School No. 17.

“Part of the institution’s mission includes creating an environment that encourages individuals to contribute and improve the quality of life for others,” said University President Joel Seligman. “I am grateful to both recipients for their dedication to building sustainable programs and initiatives that are of great service to members of both the University community and the Greater Rochester community.”

CACHED, which is a division of the Offices for Medical Education, provides leadership for SMD diversity and outreach initiatives through a variety of approaches, including community engagement, pipeline programs, affinity groups for medical students, and diversity activities.

In a letter nominating CACHED for the award, Dr. David Lambert, senior associate dean of medical student education, wrote that the center has “created a supportive and responsive environment for students from diverse backgrounds” and has a “well-documented history and commitment of designing effective interventions to respond to community needs and to assist individuals most in need.”

Dr. Linda Chaudron, senior associate dean for diversity, wrote that CACHED is a “cornerstone of the medical school’s diversity efforts at the early end of the educational spectrum,” citing their “stellar efforts … to engage underrepresented students in considering a medical career through education pipeline programs,” such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Science and Technology Entry Program.

CACHED also was praised for its advocacy of student participation in service learning activities in the community, including the Free School, Work Permit, and Sports Physicals outreach program. Through this program, faculty and student volunteers provide free physical examinations and physician clearance to attend school and participate in sports for students in the Rochester City School District who may not have access to a doctor. CACHED coordinates six sessions for students, providing more than 700 free physicals each year. “CACHED, in conjunction with the dedicated student volunteers, has had a sustained and transformative impact on diverse populations and underserved individuals in Greater Rochester,” wrote Brenda Lee, assistant dean for medical education and student affairs.

As a master’s degree student at the Eastman School of Music, John Fetter became a leader and advocate for the Urban Strings program, which provides private or small group lessons to string students in grades three through seven at Enrico Fermi School No. 17. Now a member of Eastman’s faculty, Fetter makes weekly trips to the school, where he coaches current Eastman students as they teach the children. In a letter nominating Fetter for the Diversity Award, Elizabeth Hanan, an Eastman alumna and teacher at School 17 wrote that Fetter is the “driving force behind organizing the Eastman teachers and getting them ready to be successful in the urban teaching environment.”

In addition to the strings program, Fetter has been an active member of the Eastman School’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Ellen Koskoff, professor of ethnomusicology at Eastman and a member of the committee, wrote that Fetter is a strong member of the committee, always ready to “present different perspectives on the diversity issues confronting schools of music.”

Fetter also delivered a presentation during the University’s 2011 Diversity Conference, using his violin to demonstrate the many musical styles that can be associated with one instrument and the varying biases audiences develop toward different styles. He used this concept as a springboard to create dialogue about broader issues of diversity.

“John is a violinist, conductor, and educator with a mission,” wrote Jamal Rossi, Eastman School executive associate dean, in a nomination letter. “He is deeply dedicated to urban education, demonstrating for our students and faculty a philosophy of teaching that he lives out every day.”

The Presidential Diversity Awards were created in 2009 by Joel Seligman to recognize faculty, staff, students, units, departments or teams that “demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion through recruitment and retention efforts, teaching, research, multi-cultural programming, cultural competency, community outreach activities, or other initiatives.” This year’s winners were chosen from among nine nominees who were recommended by their colleagues. The recipients and other nominees also were honored at a reception with the president and other University leaders yesterday at the Witmer House.

Each Presidential Diversity Award includes a $2,500 prize; individual award winners will receive half and will designate half to support the budget of a program or department of the winner’s choice. Team award winners will designate the entire $2,500 prize to the program or department of the team’s choice.

“The nominees for the 2012 award have impacted the lives of the faculty, staff, and students by helping us appreciate the value of diversity—within our University and the greater Rochester community,” said Dr. Vivian Lewis, deputy to the president and vice provost for Faculty Development and Diversity and chair of the award’s selection committee. “CACHED and John Fetter stood out from this field of outstanding nominees for their ongoing dedication. We hope their examples will serve to inspire others to become involved in making the environment more inclusive. ”

YNN Spotlights U of R Students Serving As Election Inspectors

The Election Fellows program is a partnership among the University, Nazareth College, Roberts Wesleyan College, and St. John Fisher College, and the Monroe County Board of Elections. Through the program, 200 students were trained to work at Monroe County’s polling sites, where they assisted voters as they cast their ballots in the November 8th election. Now in its second year, the program is funded through a grant from the federal Election Assistance Commission through the “Help America Vote Act.”

In addition to the 200 undergraduates who worked at the polls, ten students were selected as Election Fellows. In this leadership role, Election Fellows participated in advanced training on how to use the voting machines, recruitment and communications techniques, and on the bi-partisan election process.

The RYY Fellows work with local organizations to develop sustainable services and programs to address the self-identified needs of Rochester youth. Moreover, the program aims to empower young people and their families to take initiatives to improve their own neighborhoods. The fellows build lasting connections between the community, their host organization, and their university to promote solidarity and fruitful cooperation between the college communities and the city they inhabit.

This year, 12 RYY fellows are engaging with various organizations and communities to make an impact in the city; two of them are U of R grads.

Andrea Polanski, who earned a bachelor’s of science degree in biochemistry from Rochester, is working with the Rochester City School District’s Youth Development & Family Services Department. She is working to create a program that brings RCSD alumni back to the schools to mentor and tutor current students. Polanski is working on a marketing campaign to recruit volunteers and is building a database of potentially interested alumni that education-related agencies can contact to become involved with students.

Emma Rainwater, who graduated with a history degree from Rochester, is working with Foodlink and Freshwise Farms on their Youth Education Program to promote healthy eating habits in children and their families, as well as educate the community about local and sustainable agriculture. She will also aid in developing a nutrition education curriculum in local school and recruit local youth to come to Freshwise Farms for tours and lessons.

Two fellows hail from Nazareth College. Sara Heron graduated with a bachelor’s of arts in anthropology and history. She is continuing the work of former RYY fellows to expand refugee health promotion projects organized with the Brown Square Health Center. Erin Murphy who holds a bachelor’s of science degree in communication sciences and disorders, is working with the RCSD Health, Physical Education & Athletics Department to implement the Coordinated School Health Program in several local elementary schools. The goal of the program is to improve health and wellness in area schools through programing and mentoring.

Megan Maslach and Oscar Ortiz both graduated from the College at Brockport. Maslach is working with the Leadership Academy for Young Men at the RCSD to recruit and match male mentors from the community with students at the Academy. Ortiz, for his part, will work with the South East Neighborhood Service Center to help youth gain a more significant voice in community decision-making and to help them train the Neighborhood Association and Police Department on the most effective strategies for positive youth development.

Jennifer Moffitt, who holds a bachelor’s of arts in music from Roberts Wesleyan College, is devoting her year to improving the lives of refugees in Rochester through programs and initiatives at the Office of Community Medicine at Rochester General Hospital. She will research how refugees are cared for in the city and will develop a three-year strategic plan to improve refugee interactions with health services providers through language assistance, transportation, prescription guidance, and cultural awareness.

A graduate of St. John Fisher College with a degree in international studies and sociology, Stephanie Claire Moss will work to improve interest and participation in extracurricular activities at East High School, specifically with clubs geared toward civic engagement. She will also work to engage and empower parents of East High students, helping them become more active and productive participants in the young people’s lives.

Three fellows are graduates of SUNY Geneseo.  Anait Tamanian will be working with Writers & Books to develop programming to increase and improve literacy among urban youth.  Amy Ventura will be working to help find new sources of funding and development of the City of Rochester’s Biz Kid$ program, creating an advisory committee, and expanding the curriculum and camps offered to students.  Finally, Leanne Richardson will spend her year assisting the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau’s Youth as Resources program to gain wider community support and become more integrated with other youth-led organizations.

About Rochester Youth Year

The Rochester Youth Year Fellowship is an AmeriCorps*VISTA program designed to afford recent graduates from Rochester-area colleges the opportunity to remain in Rochester and work with selected youth-serving agencies, in order to alleviate poverty and improve opportunities for youth and their families. Rochester Youth Year is coordinated collaboratively by the following area colleges: Nazareth College, Roberts Wesleyan College, SUNY Geneseo, The College at Brockport, St. John Fisher College, and is housed at the University of Rochester’s Rochester Center for Community Leadership. For more information, visit http://www.youthyear.org/.

Article written by Maya Dukmasova, a Take 5 Scholar at the University of Rochester and an intern at University Communications.  She majored in philosophy and religion and focused her Take 5 year on researching the way American media covers current events in the Muslim world.  An aspiring journalist, Dukmasova has freelanced for Rochester Magazine, the Phoenix New Times, and the Daily News Egypt in Cairo.  She also maintains two blogs, one devoted to culture and society in Russia (www.out-of-russia.com) and the other to photography (www.myorientalism.com).

Photo Courtesy of Rochester Youth Year.