By Katie Vega, Scholar Shop Program Coordinator

The Community-Engaged Fellows program experienced incredible growth and development this past academic year. Twelve undergraduate and graduate Fellows engaged in research and scholarship pertaining to their unique but intersecting issue areas of: Gender Equity; Access & Education; Built Environment; Gentrification; Immigration; Refugees; Urban Conservation, Ecology, and Sustainability; Health Disparities; Writing & the Public Good; Arts & Engagement; and Meeting Basic Needs. Each Fellow worked with Faculty Champion(s), CCESL staff, the campus community, and community partners to co-develop and implement plans to advance community-engaged work in their focus areas.

As the Program Coordinator, I have seen these Fellows take on challenges and work as a collective to better understand the complex systems that impact communities and their influence as student researchers. With special thanks to Mia Edwards and Grace Carson, I am proud to share the Fellow’s first set of blogs (on their new website) highlighting their research, scholarship, and experience in the program. Thanks to all the Fellows for their tenacity and openness in sharing their stories and passions with the larger community. I invite you to read all the blogs here, or click through individual posts below:

• From the Tag to the #Hashtag: A Brief Case Study on Street Art in RiNo, By Mia Edwards, Gentrification Fellow
• Public Participation: The Processes of Citizen Engagement for the Public Good, By Sam Wallace, Urban Conservation, Ecology, & Sustainability Fellow
• The Harm of Quietistic Tendencies, By Lauren Yehle, Meeting Basic Needs Fellow
• DU PAI Updates, By Mimiko Watanabe, Arts & Engagement Fellow
• Learning about Photovoice as a Community-Engaged Fellow, By Corey Martz, Urban Conservation, Ecology, & Sustainability Fellow
• The Dos and Don’ts of Doodle: Or, How to Hold Large Meetings Between Busy People from On and Off Campus, By Alison Turner, Writing & the Public Good Fellow
• Ozy Aloziem’s Positonality, By Ozy Aloziem, Gender Equity Fellow
• Why Access to and Retention in Education Matters to Me, By Grace Carson, Access & Education Fellow