Fostering justice seekers and changemakers
October 2024 – Drew University’s Center of Civic Engagement (CCE) bridges scholarship and social action by providing students with immersive learning opportunities and leadership skills development using social justice frameworks.
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Founded in 2008, the CCE strives to infuse civic engagement as a value and practice throughout Drew’s College of Liberal Arts, Drew Theological School, and Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, while also strengthening student-led community engagement outside the classroom. Integrative and collaborative programs, such as Drew Action Scholars and Changemakers, and the CCE’s interdisciplinary approach to education bridges curricular and co-curricular methodology and practice to cultivate holistic leadership and actualize responsive global citizenship through informed, intentional, imaginative strategy and action for positive social impact.
Students gain a holistic understanding of community needs while advocating and leading change for positive societal outcomes.
“All students at Drew should experience community,” said Director for the CCE Sean Hewitt. “To understand what community really looks like, students need to experience it themselves by listening and engaging authentically with the people both on and off campus. We believe that higher education has a responsibility to not only produce researchers and scholars, but changemakers.”
“Sean Hewitt and I collectively share a vision of the CCE functioning as a hub of activism in a broad sense—building a true ecosystem of civic engagement through the many different ways that civic engagement can look in a multitude of spaces,” said Assistant Professor of Civically Engaged Teaching and Learning & Faculty Director of the CCE Mecca Madyun. “We can support students and faculty in defining what civic engagement means and looks like to them. This informed approach can be empowering because it allows people to leverage their knowledge, experiences, skills, and talents to carve their own path into this work.”
“This is how we work together to build a civic engagement ecosystem that is Drew-wide and has deep impact within and far beyond its walls,” continued Madyun.
Drew’s Action Scholars program is a unique, hands-on program for students who are passionate about leading social change. The two-year program—which offers a four-year scholarship—invites students to join a cohort of like-minded peers who are committed to the three pillars of the program: community, innovation, and global impact.
Drew Changemakers is a semester-long immersive program that offers students opportunities to engage with peers and community partners while growing personally and professionally through workshops, conferences, and other events.
The CCE incorporates community fundamentals into the classroom through Community Based Learning (CBL) classes, which nourish students with the ability to connect academic learning with immersive community experiences.
Additional programs provide targeted and shorter-term experiences. Students may explore emergency medicine and can earn their EMT certification through the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Cadet Program. Week-long alternative breaks are offered with Volunteer without Borders where students travel to various locations throughout the U.S. to contribute to disaster relief and community development in high-need communities while building intercultural communication and competence skills.
We sat down with three students who shared their experiences in the various CCE programs. This is what they had to say.
Benjamin Castro C’25
Majors: Marketing and Business
Minor: History
Changemaker
When I discovered the Changemakers program at the activities fair during my first semester at Drew, I was immediately drawn to it. I have always been eager to make a positive impact wherever I go, and this opportunity allowed me to contribute to the local community. Throughout the duration of the program, I participated in several volunteer events and workshops which contributed to my personal and professional growth. It allowed me to fully step out of my comfort zone and provide me with invaluable life experiences. Community service and civic engagement are crucial in bringing people together from all walks of life who share the same values and want to create social change. This amazing program offered by the CCE has truly benefited not only me, but the local community.
Kamila Polanco C’27
Majors: International Relations and Philosophy
Minors: Political Science and Law, Justice, & Society
Action Scholar and CCE Student Team Member
I got involved at the Center for Civic Engagement my first year as an Action Scholar. I took the class CE 160 with Professor Madyun and met Sean Hewitt at the Action Scholar retreat. Meeting the both of them last year and visiting Davies House has opened many doors for me. Not only was I able to volunteer at the Morristown Neighborhood House, but I was able to talk to middle school students about my first year experience, participate in the College Tour episode, and speak to a Drew alum who was an Action Scholar sponsor. They have instilled the confidence in me to know that I deserve to be in those spaces and more. That was all just within my first year at Drew and first year as an Action Scholar.
I have decided to get more involved at the CCE this year, as an Action Scholar mentor and a Student Team Member. Becoming involved at the CCE has cleaned my foggy glasses so I can see my own potential. I have learned so much about myself and my place in this world and it pushes me to give back and encourage others to get involved like I did my first year. Taking the CE 160 course has changed my perspective on this world. Breaking down my own biases and clearing my lens on the world, I am able to aid others and volunteer in many spaces and know that I am actually helping. This has made an impact on my community as people know that they can always rely on me, ask for help, anything that comes to their mind. They know I will be there.
Alexa Santillán C’26
Majors: Chemistry and Spanish
Action Scholar
I joined the Action Scholars program because I was deeply involved in community service during high school and wanted to continue making a difference through the opportunities Drew provided. The Action Scholars program offered me the perfect platform to deepen my engagement through its diverse opportunities like partnerships with local organizations, and emphasis on community-based learning courses. Being part of this program has greatly impacted me by fostering a stronger sense of empathy and a greater awareness of the needs around me!