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2009-2010 Civic Engagement Scholars
Above: Civic Engagement Scholar Retreat Photo (Not pictured: Anna Witte, Kammy Webb, & Ariel Schnee)
ALEXANDER HOLTZMAN
Service-Learning Program: Farmworker Legal Services/MiRA
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I wanted to gain valuable work experience, and begin my career working for social justice.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am interested in working for basic human and civil rights which I believe should be a societal guarantee and a practical reality, instead of an ideal to strive toward.
What’s your favorite food?
Steak
AMANDA (ADA) MCCARTNEY 
Service-Learning Program: Heartbeat at Kalamazoo Central High School
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I'm involved in service learning because I think that it is one of the best ways to be mindfully engaged, and productive in communities.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I believe that education is the is the foundation and structure of an inequitable society and that revolutionizing education is the most viable and possible method toward stopping the perpetuation of social injustice.
What's your favorite food?
My favorite food is Thsaka-Laka
ANDREW DOZIER
Service-Learning Program: HYPE (Helping Youth through Personal Empowerment)
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I am involved in service-learning because it helps me connect with the Kalamazoo community. I feel a responsibility to be a part of this community.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am passionate about the issue of using a Restorative Justice Philosophy in Juvenile Homes. I believe that the youth I work with can succeed, but need the proper tools and guidance, in order to succeed.
What’s your favorite food?
Pineapple.
ANNA MILLER
Service-Learning Program: AMIGOS at Maple St. Magnet (Middle) School for the Arts
Why are you involved in service-learning? I am involved in Service Learning because I think it is extremely important to combine classroom learning with real world experience. Additionally, I believe that it is equally important to become involved with the greater Kalamazoo community in addition to being a part of the K campus - service-learning combines the two.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why? I think that the public school system in the United States, and Kalamazoo, are lacking in a lot of areas. I feel like a lot of kids get left behind because they were not given the same head start that other students were, this is affected by issues of race and poverty which concern me a lot also. I hope that through my time in the Kalamazoo Public School system that I can help make a difference in the students lives and the greater institution.
What’s your favorite food? My favorite food is empanadas, but only the good ones :)
ANNA WITTE
Service-Learning Program: Club Grub After-School Program at Woodward
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I love working with others, meeting new people, and feeling a real connection to my community. Service-learning allows me to get off campus and be part of a bigger picture. Also, I believe that learning is not something that comes solely from textbooks, and enjoy the hands on experiences and lessons that service-learning continually provides.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I have recently been very interested and involved in issues regarding the U.S prison system. This interest stemmed first from my first-year seminar, visions of America: first person, and later from a service-learning course, prisons and public policy. These classes opened my eyes to a flood of issues that I had been blind to, and also provided me with new ways of thinking and action.
What’s your favorite food?
Sushi!
ARIEL SCHNEE
Service-Learning Program: Woodward School for Technology & Research
Why are you involved in service-learning? I am involved with service learning because I feel that it complements the work that I do academically and because I sincerely believe that books and words can be the best way to reach out and connect to other people. It's also a great stress release and an awesome way to share my passion for literature and writing.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why? Right now I'd say that the most important social issue to me is environmental conservation and climate justice. Tons of organizations are doing work on this issue but we still have a long way to go. I'd also encourage K students to join EnvOrg and try to get to the Powershift convention in Washington DC during winter quarter, it's an incredible event!
What's your favorite food? There's this absolutely amazing Jewish bakery/deli in West Bloomfield (MI) that I've gone to since I was maybe three years old, they serve a corned beef sandwich on fresh rye bread with yellow mustard that I literally dream about. It's the total best.
BRIANNE WOOD
Service-Learning Program: Croyden Avenue School/Autism Awareness
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I volunteered all throughout high school and as a First Year I was looking for a way to get involved in the campus community as well as the surrounding Kalamazoo community. I’ve been hooked on the program ever since. I love the concept of Service-Learning because not only do I get the opportunity to give back but I also learn from it as well. I am able to apply it to my classes as well as life experiences.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I’m most passionate about education. Our future is in the hands of the younger generations; it is important that we give them the tools they need to enrich their lives.
What’s your favorite food?
A Spaghetti Carbonara recipe of my great grandmother’s
CHRISTINA SMITH 
Service-Learning Program: Art & Community at the Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I saw the opportunity to really connect what I've learned in the art studio and in the classroom with the community. Working on art projects with blind people gives me the chance to inspire them (and for them to inspire me) and give them the confidence that they can create something beautiful and useful. Plus, it's fun!
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
Wow, there are so many. Right now I'm concerned with the health care debate because I am about to graduate and be on my own. This makes the issue very real to me. I'm pretty sure I won't have a job that lets me spend hundreds of dollars on health care each month right out of college. The idea of living without health care is scary because you just don't ever know when you'll need it. There are so many people without health care, and they should not have to die because they cannot afford it. People should not go into debt because they are ill.
What’s your favorite food?
Easy, raspberries
ELLEN MURPHY
Service-Learning Program: Farms to K
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I am involved in service-learning because I saw it as an opportunity to build a community outside of campus as well as commit to a healthy, sustainable, delicious lifestyle.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am most passionate about the health of our nation and the "food" we are putting into our bodies.
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite foods are any that are in season!
ERIC AIKEN
Service-Learning Program: Heartbeat at Kalamazoo Central High School
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I do service-learning because it is the only way I have learned about myself and community while also helping others.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am very interested in the college preparation of high school student as will as racial issuses and identity with in communities.
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food would have to North Carolina Pulled Pork.
ILANA KRESCH
Service-Learning Program: AMIGOS at Kalamazoo Central High School
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I got involved in service-learning my freshman year because I had done similar volunteer-work sorts of jobs and wanted to have that part of my life transfer to my college experience. I also thought it was a great way to maintain my Spanish and get off campus! Something I have gotten out of my work that I didn't anticipate getting has been all the lasting relationships I've formed with both K students and with community members! In participating in the service-learning programs at K, I have found it powerful and empowering to be part of the genuine and reciprocal relationships that are so often the fruits of all the work our students do.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I think it is crucial that everyone who wants an education is given fair access. I'd like to be part of leveling the playing field so that all children can feel empowered and capable of making whatever changes in themselves and in the world that they want to!
What's your favorite food?
My favorite food right now is eggplant. Yum!!
JAY MCMILLAN
Service-Learning Program: Goodwill Adult Literacy
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I am involved in service-learning because it's a way I can help those who need help. I especially enjoy the Goodwill GED program because I am helping those who are looking to help themselves. Overall, I believe service-learning is a kind of pay-it-forward movement: if others can see what service-learning can do for them, then hopefully they can pass it on.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I believe that something we need to address as a society is equal opportunity. Too often opportunity is shut off because a person never really had a chance in the first place. We all need to come from the same "starting-line," no head starts because of social-class status, race, gender, orientation, etc.
What's your favorite food?
I really enjoy good cheese pizza or a slice of pound cake.
JENNEVA SCHOLZ
Service-Learning Program: Art & Community at Ministry with Community
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I'm part of this service-learning community because the work I do makes the connections between my academic passions and my personal passions obvious, real, and useful. I love being able to apply my own learning towards encouraging the learning of others.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
Education comes up again and again in my work and the questions I struggle with as being fundamental to the kinds of changes I want to see in the world, and I continue to hope for reform and improvements in education in all senses of the word, from the personal to the institutional.
What's your favorite food?
Strawberries straight from the garden.
JILLIAN BELSTLER
Service-Learning Program: Woodward School for Technology & Research
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I am involved in service-learning for a variety of reasons, but one of the most important for me is to be actively involved in the community that I live in. It also puts my academic life in perspective, which helps me stay connected to the things that matter to me.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
Right now I am really interested in education reform and the inequality that persists within schools and communities. Both education and community involvement are often undervalued, which I think needs to be more fully addressed.
What's your favorite food?
That’s a tough one, but I’d have to say bread.
KAMMY WEBB
Service-Learning Program: Building Blocks
Why are you involved in service-learning?
The most important part of an education, to me, is the constructive application of what one has learned. Service-learning allows me to take what I have learned in the classroom and use it to be a useful participant in the greater community. Service learning projects make my time at K College worth it.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
Educational inequality is, I believe, one of the most important issues of our time. I hope to spend the rest of my life working to close the achievement gap; no child should receive an inferior education and fewer opportunities because of the zip code they happen to have.
What's your favorite food?
Ever since study abroad I regularly crave ceviche de cameron!
KLISSA JARRETT
Service-Learning Program: CAPS at Interfaith Homes
Why are you involved in service-learning?
The children are my best friends! I love them and want to see them grow and succeed.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
Education
What’s your favorite food?
Sushi, Chicken and rice, tamales, chicken tacos, and vanilla ice cream with caramel topping
LISA PHILLIPS
Service-Learning Program: Keeping the Doors Open Math Enrichment Program
Why are you involved in service-learning?
In classes, we sit and learn about all these problems in the world and yet do nothing to actually work to address them. In service-learning, we're not just thinking about issues that affect the world, we're doing what we can to address them. That's why I'm involved: it's a way to do more than just learn - it's a way to make a difference. Even as college students, we have agency - we can do something to better the world around us, little by little.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I'm most passionate about making education (both secondary and higher education) accessible to everyone. As education becomes more and more standardized, some kids get lost in the shuffle. That's what my service-learning program works for: making sure these kids have the tools they need to succeed in high school and beyond.
What’s your favorite food?
There's this amazing pizza place in Holland, MI that makes mind-bogglingly good breadsticks. They're just heavenly. That's my favorite food: Sluggo's breadsticks.
MOHSEN GHAZI
Service-Learning Program: HYPE (Helping Youth through Personal Empowerment)
Why are you involved in service-learning?
The theoretical nature of a liberal arts education makes it imperative to connect academic theory to real-world problems. The skills that I have acquired during my time with HYPE will be as useful - if not more useful - than what I've learned in the classroom.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I'm passionate about providing underprivileged youth with the necessary skills and opportunities for personal and professional success. Also, I hope to spread awareness of the gross inequality that exists within the social fabric of the United States.
What’s your favorite food?
Szechuan Shrimp from a place called China Gate in my hometown of Ann Arbor.
NATALIE BRAZEAU
Service-Learning Program: Rising Up! After-School Program
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I love the idea of reciprocal learning; where everyone who is involved comes away having learned various things from each other. Being a K college student is somewhat isolating - service-learning is a way for me to get to know my community and interact and learn with them; I share my piece and they share theirs and from there we create a unique dynamic.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am into equality - the idea that every human being deserves equal rights, privileges and respect. There are a lot of different names for this, I call it feminism. I'm also passionate about making accurate information on reproductive health and contraception accessible to youth.
What’s your favorite food?
Caprese salad!
PAUL GARZA
Service-Learning Program: El Sol Elementary
Why are you involved in service-learning?
I am involved in service-learning because I want to share my academic skills and experiences to provide a meaningful learning atmosphere that I hope will make a difference in the Spanish speaking children's lives in our community.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
I am most passionate about reaching out and connecting with bilingual children (Spanish). At El Sol Elementary School, I will have this opportunity by demonstrating that they can be successful in anything that they choose to pursue by studying hard and being a good citizen. In addition, I want them to be aware of great opportunities that the community of Kalamazoo has to offer and know that we are doing our best to support their education.
What's your favorite food?
I love Chinese food, especially Sesame Chicken with Egg Fried Rice!
TRAVIS SMITH
Service-Learning Program: CAPS at Interfaith Homes
Why are you involved in service-learning?
Service-Learning gives me opportunities to be creative and productive simultaneously, something that I do not always get to do in class. All Service-Learning programs are group efforts and I love working with others. SL gives me a higher sense of community and makes me feel more at home even though I am about 900 miles away.
What social issue are you most passionate about and why?
It depends when you ask. Right now I'm most passionate about educational equality (i.e. equal opportunities in all public school systems).
What’s your favorite food?
Chicken Parmesan: the sandwich, the pasta, and the pizza.
