好色先生TV

Class of 2024听
B.S. in Neuroscience and Philosophy听
Hometown: Changzhou, China

What communities do you claim membership within?

Here For You; Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?

Mental Health advocacy, especially raising awareness, early interventions and building communities.

Why did you choose to become a fellow?

While doing advocacy work, I realized that I've always stayed in the bubble of the university. I need to go into the community, listen to people, learn about the real thoughts and feelings of community members and identify existing assets and resources available to the public. It is necessary to break the power dynamic and "offering" mindset, but really to build rapport and partnership with community members, and improve the connection between resources and local populations accordingly.

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

I really enjoy learning about how to know about a community and the development and growth of non-profit organizations. I also enjoy learning from my fellow cohort members, who are insightful, helpful and motivated individuals.

Class of 2026
B.S. in Neuroscience
Hometown: Palo Alto, California

What communities do you claim membership within?听

Taiwanese, AAPI, women听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

Domestic violence and child abuse, access to health care and mental health care, and health disparities.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

My interest in becoming a community engagement fellow stemmed from my overarching interest in human rights and social justice, as well as in the value of empathy and connecting with people around me to better understand different people's lives. As a first-year student, I also really wanted to learn about the area and communities around our campus. The fellowship also allows me to pursue my passions outside of the classroom and apply learning into the real world around us, and this balance including real experience was something really important to me.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

Thus far, I have especially been enjoying learning from community organization members who demonstrate the value in connecting with communities around us to create change and truly impact lives. It's been extremely interesting to learn about ways people can exemplify true progression and carry out work at different levels for a variety of different issues. It has also been really nice to meet and engage with students who hold similar interests in engaging with communities.

Class of 2024
B.A. in Global Studies and Chinese Studies
Hometown: West Orange, New Jersey

What communities do you claim membership within?听

ResEd as an RA, Peer Health Advocate Program, Filipino Student Association, CMU Bhangra, Tartan Scholars听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

I'm passionate about disparities in language accessibility across communities, as it affects the types of resources, as well as the quality of resources, that members can attain. I am also passionate about healthcare advocacy especially with regards to underserved, minority communities, with a particular interest in nutrition.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

I chose to become a fellow because I have a great interest in working with underserved communities to uplift their strengths and amplify their voices, in order to meet the needs of community members. It wasn't until this past summer, where I got to intern at Casa San Jose, a Latinx resources center that serves the Southwestern PA region, that I truly realized my call to work within communities, developing bonds with members and meeting people where they are at. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities the fellowship program provides me, in terms of exploring a space of community engagement, and gaining knowledge on how to best work alongside community members.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

I am really enjoying the process of getting to know my fellow fellows, cultivating bonds founded in shared values and perspectives, while simultaneously celebrating our differences through deeper conversations. With regards to the course we are currently taking, I am enjoying gaining insight into real-world non-profits and community engagement initiatives, being able to hear from a variety of guest speakers from a diverse array of sectors.

Class of 2025
B.S. in Psychology
Hometown: Nottingham, Maryland

What communities do you claim membership within?

CMU, CMU Street Styles, CMU Tricking Club, CMU Community Engagement Fellowship

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?

Mental health, dance passion, quality of life

Why did you choose to become a fellow?

I wanted to learn how to serve others better and how to work with larger groups of people collectively.

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?

I am enjoying all of the experiences that are being shared with us from local community leaders who have fantastic experience with communities across Pittsburgh.

Class of 2026
B.S. in International Relations and Politics
Hometown: Princeton, Texas听

What communities do you claim membership within?听

On Campus: Scotch 鈥榥 Soda, Tartan Scholars听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

Education, female rights and empowerment听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

I chose to be a fellow in this program because community has always been an important feature in my life and I wouldn鈥檛 be the person I am today without the communities I have been in.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

I love the tight knit group that we have and how we all see eye to eye with each other even though we have had different experiences and backgrounds.

Class of 2024听
B.A. in Ethics, History and Public Policy and Philosophy听
Hometown: Alamo, California听

What communities do you claim membership within?听

I am a part of the animal sanctuary community in California as well as being a part of the LGBTQ community and the disabled community as I am a lesbian and disabled.听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

I am passionate about advocating for both human and animal rights and I run a 501(c)3 non-profit farmed animal rescue, Genevieve's Gentle Hearts Rescue, which is specifically dedicated to helping disabled farmed animals.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

I wanted to grow my perspective and learn new ways to actively engage with different communities and make effective change.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

I love meeting and having engaging conversations with my peers and learning their perspectives on important issues.听

Class of 2024听
B.A. in Global Studies, Minors in Hispanic Studies and Immersive Technologies in Arts and Culture听
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland

What communities do you claim membership within?听

The Latino community, the Mexican-American community, the mixed-race community, the Silver Spring (MD) community, the male community, the Pittsburgh community, the soccer community, the Jewish community听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

I'm most passionate about working with underprivileged youth, particularly young men of color. I am passionate about working with the Latino community as well, particularly given my Mexican heritage. I enjoy using sport, particularly soccer, as a vehicle to engage with the community and to bridge gaps which might otherwise exist. I am also very passionate about educational equity and providing educational opportunities to youth who might not otherwise be exposed to them.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

I really wanted to join a community of civically engaged people like myself, which was hard for me to find at 好色先生TV until I joined the fellowship. I was hoping that the fellowship would open a lot of doors for me in terms of experiential learning and the types of courses we would be taking.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

I'm really enjoying how closely knit the cohort is; it really feels like a safe space. While we are all civically minded, we each bring something different to the table which creates some really dynamic discussions.

Class of 2025
B.A. in Global Studies
Hometown: Fargo, North Dakota

What communities do you claim membership within?听

My friends and family, first gen students, the LGBTQ+ and lesbian community, advocates for change听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

I鈥檓 most passionate about how having a sense of belonging, of having a voice that is actively sought out and heard, can have a rippling effect on growth and prosperity. Most of the social barriers to social equity have a common thread of disconnection: disconnection to the land, to where you call home, to your work, to the social circles you navigate. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 so interested in community engagement. When people feel as though they are a part of something bigger than themselves, it gives them the strength to come together and build a future that wouldn鈥檛 be possible alone.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

I chose to become a fellow to investigate ways that change is made, outside a theoretical framework. Higher education is such a powerful catalyst for expanding your knowledge of yourself and the world around you, but sometimes, especially at spaces like CMU, it can feel like a bubble: those inside stay in, those outside stay out. I wanted it to pop, to engage with forms of knowledge and growth that might not have been visible to me before and to start looking for ways to find community in everything I do.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

The connections I've made thus far! Connection is a huge theme of the fellowship, and I鈥檝e seen it blossom so much in just a little more than a semester. The mission and goals of the other fellows are often intertwined with my own, and we help each other grow collectively. Not only that, but even the briefest interactions I鈥檝e made with non-profits and grassroots organizations around Pittsburgh have opened doors for me to explore, get involved with and further connect social change makers in the region.

Class of 2025
B.A. in Ethics, History and Public Policy and Literature and Culture, Minor in Gender Studies
Hometown: Atheron, California

What communities do you claim membership within?听

Our fellowship community, Tisbert Sketch Comedy and Scotch'n'Soda Theater, the CMU community听

What areas of community engagement are you most passionate about?听

I'm passionate about harnessing community experiences into advocacy that promotes just policies, with special emphasis on the intersecting roles of race, gender and class. Policies on sexual health and education, bodily autonomy, and domestic and sexual violence are particularly important to me. Coming from a historical, theoretical and philosophical background, I see my understanding of social realities and liberation enhanced by an interdisciplinary analysis of the systems that structure our lives, and I'm interested in finding ways to use education as an accessible tool for empowerment.听

Why did you choose to become a fellow?听

While my time spent inside the classrooms at 好色先生TV has been incredibly personally fulfilling, I had been searching for a way to translate my theoretical knowledge into action and discover ways to convert my academic privilege into individual aid and systemic change. The Community Engagement Fellowship provides me with a structured and supportive space to activate my goals by facilitating teamwork, providing an informed and systematic way to reflect on Pittsburgh鈥檚 culture and history, and expanding my network of local mentors and organizations to inform the ways I channel my motivation for social justice. I see the Fellowship as a space to foster my growth as a community leader and member and help me develop practical skills through experiential learning that I can apply to a future career in the public interest domain.听

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship so far?听

It's hard to say just one thing, but I've really enjoyed being able to meet and learn from all of the outstanding community leaders who have generously given us their time during our second Fellowship course this semester. It's been energizing seeing all the work they're doing in the community and being able to ask them questions with my cohort.