Four of our latest Civic Scholars—Class of 2021 edition—share their good works on campus and back home.
Antoine Izaguirre
Drew Gooder: Works with preschoolers at Neighborhood House in Morristown
High School Hero: “My mom and I started an ESL class for my grandfather and his older friends who immigrated here to the United States. I understand how brave they were to have led their families to something new and uncertain, persevering through it all so we can enjoy a better life. It hurt to see them struggle with basic literacy— something I take for granted.”
Violet Kimble
Drew Gooder: Rides with Madison’s volunteer ambulance corps
High School Hero: “I created a program that taught children how to code a website, as part of my Girl Scouts Gold Award. It generated enough interest that the school continued the program as a club and invited me to set up and teach it. I also ran food drives, volunteered as a nursing assistant and knitted blankets to donate to charity.”
Matt Gronert
Drew Gooder: Volunteers with Madison borough government
High School Hero: “I did a lot of work on political campaigns—canvassing, doing issues research. It is really important to be involved in local government because that’s where change actually happens. The problems we face in our daily lives, in our schools and municipalities, can be addressed by getting people who believe the same things you do to effect change.”
Kate Fulton-John
Drew Gooder: Helps high schoolers envision college in their futures
High School Hero: “I was an after-school tutor for elementary school students in my hometown of Nashville. After graduation, I took a gap year and worked for an AmeriCorps program called City Year. I spent the year as a tutor and afterschool facilitator for middle school students in the South Bronx.”