Contributed by Josefina Ewins – Camden College of Arts & Sciences 2022 Graduate
Being in Civic Scholars gave me the possibility to not only be amongst a group of students looking for civic engagement opportunities around the city of Camden but to become deeper involved with my campus community. Over the last two years, I have been the Lead Student Coordinator for the Camden 2012: Transitional Racial Justice project which focuses on the changes in Camden’s education and police system during 2012. The main portion that was missing from the telling of events in Camden at this time was the voice of the community. Being a part of Civic Scholars and this project has allowed me to have the chance to speak to Camden residents and understand how the system changes had impacted them and prohibited them from being a part of their school system.
“I am so grateful to have had an experience like Civic Scholars and the opportunity to deepen my understanding of not only the surrounding community of Rutgers–Camden, but also broaden my professional network nationally and internationally.”
Josefina Ewins CCAS’22
Through the Civic Scholars program, I was able to continue the work that is central to me, giving voices back to those who have been marginalized and had their voices taken away. I came into Civic Scholars believing that you must give back to the community that has let you into their space, especially communities that have been marginalized and made voiceless, because in these communities so much can be learned. By beginning this project and connecting with the Bonner Foundation, I have been able to meet students from around the nation and collaborate with students in ways that I believed would only be done through grassroots efforts. The program has opened doors for me and allowed me to participate in national and international panels hosted by organizations like the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the Global Cooperation for the Democratic Mission of Higher Education. I am so grateful to have had an experience like Civic Scholars and the opportunity to deepen my understanding of not only the surrounding community of Rutgers–Camden, but also broaden my professional network nationally and internationally.
Through my work with the RU–C Bonner Civic Scholar program, I was invited to speak at a national virtual panel in October of 2021. The purpose of that panel was to discuss students’ positions in their university’s structure, and how students can begin reshaping the systems around them, particularly through civic engagement. This virtual opportunity led to me being invited to speak at the Global Forum on Higher Education Leadership for Democracy, Sustainability and Social Justice, held at Dublin City University, in Dublin Ireland. Having the chance to fly to Dublin and connect with not only international researchers, professors, and diplomats, but students as well gave me a new understanding of the civic engagement landscape.
Through my work with the RU–C Bonner Civic Scholar program, I was invited to speak at a national virtual panel in October of 2021. The purpose of that panel was to discuss students’ positions in their university’s structure, and how students can begin reshaping the systems around them, particularly through civic engagement. This virtual opportunity led to me being invited to speak at the Global Forum on Higher Education Leadership for Democracy, Sustainability and Social Justice, held at Dublin City University, in Dublin Ireland. Having the chance to fly to Dublin and connect with not only international researchers, professors, and diplomats, but students as well gave me a new understanding of the civic engagement landscape.
During the three-day forum, the participants and panelists were able to listen to each others’ thoughts, ask questions, and brainstorm on possible solutions to each person’s individual national issue. This time gave a different feeling than discussions within a classroom. Unlike the standard dynamic of a professor to a student like in the classroom, forums and conferences knock down these hierarchal standards and create room for a student such as myself to be respected and heard. The panel that I spoke on focused on the role that universities play in engaging students and the surrounding community in social and racial justice. Having the experience of assisting with the Civic Scholar 2012 project, bringing the narrative back to the residents of Camden, New Jersey, fit in line with their ask, and I was able to speak on the need for more universities to begin the work of listening to their communities. Sitting on a panel with three academics felt empowering, albeit at first a bit daunting, creating a possibility of doubt in my mind. However, through the Civic Scholar program, being that I assisted with the development of the 2012 project, I quickly realized that I had the knowledge to be in a discussion because I am developing into a researcher, into an academic. It showed the groundwork that the past two years on the project created for me. This opportunity was truly enlightening, and being given the chance to not only speak at my first conference in person but to do it abroad is a moment I will never forget.