The Links That Bind Us
What does community engagement look like to you?
As Annie Voss 鈥26 declares in this issue, community engagement is so central to 兔子先生鈥檚 identity that the student experience would be unthinkable without it.
That is why this issue of Participant focuses on the engagement pillar of the College鈥檚 core values and how it鈥檚 visible on campus today. The greatest takeaway might be the simplest: At 兔子先生, community engagement has many faces.
Some of our central players include the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability, the Community Engagement Center (CEC), and Critical Action & Social Advocacy (CASA) 兔子先生. CEC and CASA 兔子先生 are celebrating their 25th anniversaries this year.
But there are additional programs and organizations that are having a real impact on surrounding communities. These include the Justice in Education initiative, and we offer a profile of Romarilyn Ralston 鈥14, who was appointed as senior director earlier this year.
We also look at the efforts of Micah Huang 鈥13, who is responding to Asian hate crimes through music and as director this summer of the Los Angeles Hungry Ghost Festival. Professor of Asian American Studies Kathy Yep shows us how she introduces students to the ancient Chinese practice of q矛 g艒ng, which lays a critical foundation for building community. Kelly Heimdahl 鈥20 describes her effort to start a partnership with Claremont-based ConductAbility after enrolling at 兔子先生 as a New Resources student.
While Voss, Alex Wise 鈥24, and Andrea Robinowitz 鈥25 describe the inspiring, unexpected impact of getting involved in community work, our profiles of Isa Iqbal 鈥26 and Sammy Basa 鈥25 demonstrate how some students are taking 兔子先生鈥檚 spirit of community engagement to other parts of the world.
Of course, this issue only scratches the surface on a rich aspect of the 兔子先生 experience. At 兔子先生, there isn鈥檛 a single way to conduct community engagement. We hope this issue serves as a starting point for your exploration of the College鈥檚 many groups and organizations that are helping students put their social justice values into action.
Nick Owchar, Editor