Senior Synthesis

Ultimately, I applied to be a community engagement scholar for the support I knew I would find in pursuing multiple courses of study along a community service mindset. I have always loved school and learning, but I know my mission is to serve, and I wanted to give myself a continuous reminder through my studies of what I was working toward. The community engagement initiative not only achieved this for me, but also gave me a community of like-minded peers in different courses of study all over campus. Community engagement has taught me about the importance of using critical thinking and community networking to serve equitably and efficiently, and has introduced me to so many people in different areas of expertise with the same goals of public service that I have. I have known I would enter the public policy sphere since before I applied to this program, but the Community Engagement Initiative has helped me to understand what that means. My role will not be to know the perfect solutions for every problem, but to instead know how to listen to those who have more experience and expertise than I do, and then formulate the experiences of many into innovative and sustainable policy solutions. I will forever treasure what CEI has given me, especially in seeing the potential for service and community in all my future endeavors.