The college’s Community Work-Study program allows ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students to earn their work-study pay by working for local nonprofit organizations. Most students who have work-study as part of their financial aid package get jobs on campus, but 25-30 students each year earn their work-study pay in the off-campus community, where they serve as part-time staff at a range of nonprofit organizations. Harward Center Associate Director Mohamed Awil oversees the program – recruiting and hiring students who are eager to get real-world work experience while helping to pay for their education, and matching them with community organizations eager to host a part-time student worker. 

Among this year’s work-study fellows is Jahmir Primer, a senior from Hempstead, New York. Jahmir has been making a meaningful impact at the brand new, a newly built facility dedicated to providing a safe, supportive space for local youth. The $9.5 million center, featuring a full-sized basketball gym, multipurpose rooms, and community gathering areas, serves as a vibrant hub where youth can learn, play, and grow.

Each week, Jahmir supports the PAL team by helping to plan and lead after-school activities, mentor students, and assist with youth programming. His work reflects the Harward Center’s mission to connect academic learning to community work in ways that foster purpose, leadership, and the common good.

“Working at the PAL Center here in Auburn has truly been one of the best experiences I’ve had at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ so far. Seeing the kids happy, realizing their potential, and gaining confidence reminds me why I began working with the youth. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity to work with Auburn students!”

Jahmir’s Community Work-Study fellowship during the academic year builds on his summer experience as a program aide at the Harlem Children’s Zone, an opportunity he pursued with support from the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Center for Purposeful Work. At Harlem Children’s Zone, he worked with elementary students in a variety of enrichment activities, gaining hands-on experience in youth development and community education. Reflecting on the through-line between his summer and school year experiences, Jahmir notes, “My summer internship very much informed my current work at the Auburn PAL Center. Last summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to have a positive impact on students at Harlem Children’s Zone – an experience that will stick with me for a very long time. For me, working with youth is where I see myself being most effective in the workforce. My work-study job at the PAL Center is part of that trajectory.”

At the PAL Center, Jahmir brings his enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment to Auburn youth each week. The center’s welcoming atmosphere and new facilities, including its state-of-the-art basketball gym, offer countless opportunities for connection, mentorship, and growth.

Recreation specialist and PAL Center director Shawn Boyd agrees: “Jahmir does a great job in the gym with the kids, doing everything from playing basketball against them in a game to teaching them skills and drills. The kids really enjoy having him here.”

For Jahmir and other Community Work-Study Fellows, the program is the perfect way to build their workforce experience and skills while also growing as citizens, leaders, and contributors to the public good.Ìý

As a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Community Outreach Fellow, I coordinate the Food Security Program at the Harward Center in partnership with Gather to Grow (formerly the Nutrition Center). The program connects ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students with community initiatives across Lewiston-Auburn, including gardening, food pantry support, community events, and youth and school programming, all focused on advancing food justice and community health. It has been rewarding to come full circle–from working as a Summer Fellow with Gather to Grow, where I helped in these same areas myself–to now leading student involvement in them. In my role, I act as the primary connection between ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students and the community partners, coordinating volunteer involvement, sharing program information and schedules, and tracking engagement through Community Pulse, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™s community engagement platform. I also volunteer regularly to stay connected with the work and the people behind it, ensuring that I’m engaged not only as a coordinator but also as a participant.

This work is deeply meaningful to me because ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students’ involvement in our community can make a real difference. It is important to see ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ not as separate from Lewiston-Auburn but as part of the same community. It has been inspiring to see so many ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ies bring enthusiasm, care, and commitment to this work and truly going the extra mile to support our home here. It has also been wonderful to continue working alongside and engaging with my community partners at Gather to Grow, whose knowledge, dedication, and commitment make this work possible. 

What does this community outreach work mean to the community partner?

“The students who have been showing up to volunteer for our programs have been absolutely phenomenal. Tonight was a good example – we had at least a dozen ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student volunteers who helped us serve 120 people.  300-350 people coming through the pantry is a normal Tuesday now, and this week it was over 400.  The uptick in student volunteers coming through the doors is really helping us fill gaps. Heaps of thanks.”

– Alison McConnell, Community Growing Manager, Gather to Grow

In this week’s blog post, we direct your attention to the , which features a wonderful post about the college’s participation in this year’s Dempsey Challenge.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Dempsey Challenge is an annual fundraising event organized by the Dempsey Center in Lewiston that provides comprehensive and free cancer support services to patients and their families.  Every September, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, faculty, and staff participate as runners, cyclists and volunteers, raising funds and doing whatever needs to be done to help make the event a smashing success.

For the second time in three years, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ was awarded the coveted College Cup for the highest fundraising total at the event.

GO BOBCATS!

Located just minutes from campus, the Trinity Jubilee Center offers multifaceted support to Lewiston Auburn residents, from a soup kitchen and food pantry to a day shelter, medical clinic, job assistance program, and refugee integration programs. For Gwendolyn and Sam, Trinity became a place to turn empathy into action.

Gwendolyn, a thoughtful and curious ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ junior from Boone, North Carolina, found meaning in the rhythm of daily routines: “For many people in Lewiston, the Trinity Jubilee Center is a hub for the community. Since the center covers a variety of services, people can easily come together while getting assistance and information. Throughout the day, I worked with refugees and asylum seekers, helping them draft a resume and apply to jobs in Lewiston. Although there was routine, every meeting was vastly different, posing new challenges and problems to solve.â€�

For her, the experience sparked deeper reflection: “I found great value in not only helping individuals and providing a friendly face, but also supporting the Lewiston community. This position showed me how resilient and supportive the city is—something that has impacted my outlook on the world and has emphasized the importance of community involvement to me.�

For Sam, whose first three years at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ were thoroughly infused with community engagement, inspiration at Trinity came from practically every interaction: “My favorite thing about working at the Center is that everyday is different. On any given day, I might be translating immigration documents, preparing lunches, helping people apply for jobs, distributing diapers to families, getting mail to folks who don’t have a permanent address, or whatever new challenge comes through the door. The needs of the community are constantly changing, so the Center’s mission changes to match it.â€� 

His passion wasn’t just felt—it was also recognized. This past May, Sam was honored with the Harward Center’s Civic Leadership Award, underlining his meaningful impact across the L-A community. His highly valued community partner, the Trinity Jubilee Center, was among the local organizations supported this year by grants from the James W. Carignan ’61 and Sally Larson Carignan ’62 Fund, which ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students help administer. Read more here.

Both students were shaped not just by the work they did, but also by the people they met. Gwendolyn was struck by the dedication of volunteers who came day after day, often juggling personal challenges of their own, just to ensure the center ran smoothly. “The volunteers completely shape Trinity into what it is. Each day they come in with a smiling face, eager to support the center. I’ve learned a lot from them, and they inspire me to bring a joyful and hardworking spirit to everything I do,� she said.

In his work, Sam discovered the power of cross-community collaboration. Working alongside interpreters, caseworkers, volunteers, and medical professionals, he witnessed how coordinated care can transform lives: “The Center is important to me not only because of its mission, but also because of the people who work there. I have learned so much working beside them, and they have created a workplace that is welcoming and exciting.�

As the summer draws to a close, both Gwendolyn and Sam are bringing more than memories back to campus—they’re bringing renewed visions. Inspired by her summer experience, Gwendolyn plans to continue working at Trinity Jubilee Center as an academic year Community Work-Study Fellow. Thinking about the many opportunities he has enjoyed through the college’s Community Work-Study program, Sam reflected, “My community work-study experiences in the past few years have been a highlight of my time at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. I could not imagine it any other way. I hope more students consider community-engaged learning and work-study fellowships as part of their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience.â€�

At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, the Harward Center coordinates a competitive proposal and selection process aligned with Projects for Peace criteria, and then we submit the top two ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ proposals to Middlebury College, which hosts the national program, for further consideration. Eventually, one of our proposals is selected for implementation the following summer. Occasionally, both an institution’s proposals are accepted for funding.

Of course, a proposal is just a set of unrealized ideas. The real learning begins when students try to implement their ideas, often thousands of miles from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and always in collaboration with an off-campus partner organization. To get a window onto implementation, I recently followed up with our current Projects for Peace awardees.

Axelle Tougouma ‘27 is currently implementing her project, “Irrigation System in an Internally Displaced Cooperative’s Farm.” Her proposed idea involved spending the summer on site in Burkina Faso. However, because of recently imposed immigration restrictions, she cannot leave the U.S. so is implementing her project remotely instead.Ìý

One reason Axelle’s proposal rose to the top among ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ applications was because of her strong connection to her community partner, the Association AGNAWÊ GOMI. As Axelle outlined in her proposal, Burkina Faso has since 2015 faced increasing insecurity due to terrorism. According to a 2024 UN Refugee Agency report, the country has over 2,062,534 internally displaced persons and 40,338 refugees, with women and children constituting 82% of this group. Women, who are the primary caregivers in many families, face profound financial and professional vulnerabilities as they struggle to rebuild their lives and secure their children’s futures. 

The Association AGNAWÊ GOMI is a cooperative of displaced burkinabe women who have found asylum in Ouangolodougou, a town in the far north of Cote d’Ivoire, just over the Burkina Faso border. Together, they engage in small-scale farming to support their families. Axelle’s project, developed collaboratively with the women’s cooperative, aims to establish a solar irrigation system that will alleviate water shortages and promote agricultural development and training in sustainable farming practices. In the short term, the irrigation system will increase crop yield by providing consistent water supply even during the dry season. In the long term, Axelle’s project will help create financial self-sufficiency for the women in the cooperative, creating a more resilient community in which education, healthcare, and mental health services are available for their children, extended families, and communities.

Asked to describe the current state of her project’s implementation, Axelle wrote: “Our agronomist is helping with sustainable training practices and also guides the women in the cooperative throughout their season. She trained them on how to make compost, which crops are adaptable to their soil, and how to scale production. They remain highly motivated, and the progress so far is very encouraging. We are continuing to monitor crop development and are preparing for the upcoming entrepreneurship and financial management training, which will further empower the women to sustain and scale their efforts,â€� said Axelle.

A second ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Project for Peace project is also taking place this summer and, like Axelle’s, has had to accommodate unforeseen circumstances. Sardar Mohammad Ruhan ’26 and Sreenidhi Kamal ’26 received their award in 2024 but had to defer their project until this summer due to political unrest in Bangladesh. Their project, “Amelioration of Life-Threatening Dengue in the Slums of Dhaka: Tackling Health Disparity,” aims to reduce disease and death in Bangladesh from mosquito-borne illness. Their community partner is with Share the Privilege, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping distressed communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh tackle a spike in dengue cases, especially in underprivileged areas like Korail. Their project consists of a three-pronged approach to prevention through the distribution of sustainable mosquito-fighting equipment, implementation of innovative awareness campaigns, and increased treatment through the provision of life-saving medical equipment to low-functioning hospitals.  

“So far, it has been an amazing and transformative experience for both of us,â€� says Ruhan.  “We’ve of course faced challenges and had to make adjustments to the plan after talking to experts. For example, we changed the logistics of the awareness campaign and increased the number of mosquito nets. The school we went to, Pollibondhu Ershad School, had overwhelmingly positive feedback. We interviewed some students and teachers, and they all said that they had learned a lot about how to protect themselves.”

A constant priority over the years for the Projects for Peace organization has been to encourage students to be flexible, resilient, and unphased by abrupt changes in direction. Given the current high degree of global unpredictability, this rings especially true for this summer’s projects.  We are proud of these students and the work they are doing to navigate that unpredictability and to work with their local collaborators toward more just, equitable, and peaceful societies around the world.

Dr. Sen designed “Finance and Society” to be a hands-on experience, moving beyond theoretical discussions to direct engagement with community-based questions of finance. “I did not have any reference points for what a community-engaged finance course would even look like so it was a lot of experimenting and risk-taking, which I’m glad to say paid off immensely!” Dr. Sen shared. A finance course was also new territory for the Harward Center, but we were happy to find that many community partners had relevant questions and problems for the students to dive into. From “What level of financial support do we need to make Tax Increment Financing a viable path to homeownership for families in the Tree Streets of Lewiston?â€� to “What is currently offered locally for financial literacy training and what gaps might Androscoggin Bank help to fill?,â€� community partners both old and new jumped on the opportunity to work with students in this topic area that impacts many community development efforts across Lewiston Auburn. 

Five student teams partnered with local organizations, tackling diverse financial issues. These collaborations involved working with the Lewiston Housing Authority, Androscoggin Bank, Community Credit Union, Raise-Op Housing Cooperative and the City of Lewiston Housing Committee, and First 4 ME and the Cooperative Development Institute. The course incorporated scaffolded CEL writing assignments to keep students actively working on their projects and engaging with their partners throughout the semester. The culminating event was a final presentation, where community partners saw the excellent work student groups accomplished.

The projects spanned a range of critical community needs, two focusing on financial literacy and accessibility. For instance, students developed financial literacy materials for residents of the Lewiston Housing Authority, covering essential topics like avoiding predatory lending, car and home purchasing strategies, and budgeting. Other projects delved into innovative financial solutions and research for specific community challenges. Students collaborated with the Community Credit Union to research the feasibility and structure of a citizenship loan product aimed at supporting immigrant community members with the costs associated with seeking U.S. citizenship. This involved detailed investigation into the various costs and timelines involved in the naturalization process.

Two more projects involved looking at finance solutions for increasing home ownership in downtown Lewiston and for childcare cooperatives. Working with the Raise-Op Housing Cooperative’s Craig Saddlemire (ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Class of 2005), the homeownership-focused team researched Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as a strategy. This team not only conducted extensive research on the TIF model but was treated to a walking tour to see specific areas where new affordable housing is proposed. Their work culminated in a presentation of their TIF findings to local decision-makers on the Lewiston Housing Committee, directly contributing to community discussions.

After spending the semester deeply engaged with these diverse projects and partners, one student’s reflection truly captured the essence of the course’s impact: “This course reshaped how I view finance—not just as a system of numbers, but as a powerful social force. I learned how financial structures like credit and banking can reinforce inequality, and I was especially inspired by our discussions on community-based financial models that center trust and collective care. Overall, the class pushed me to think critically and connect economics with social justice, helping me grow as a more thoughtful and engaged student.” This sentiment highlights Dr. Sen’s primary goal: for students to understand the significant role finance can play in addressing societal challenges.

The success of this first iteration of “Finance and Society” has set a strong foundation. Dr. Sen, the Harward Center, and community partners alike are enthusiastic about future iterations, believing they will only continue to build both our partners’ capacity and our students’ knowledge of how finance impacts critically important issues in our society.

It was professor Martinez’s second time teaching “Local Food: Sovereignty and Justiceâ€� at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, which includes community-engaged learning in partnership with Gather to Grow (formerly known as St. Mary’s Nutrition Center), along with class visits to several other organizations including the and . Professor Martinez leans into the opportunity Short Term presents to balance time in the classroom spent learning the research and scholarship of food justice and sovereignty, with time spent on experiential learning and solidarity work in downtown Lewiston, farms in Greene and Wales, and a fishway in Brunswick. 

Students spent the largest amount of time working with a decades-old community partner with a brand new name. Recently establishing an independent 501(c)3 from St. Mary’s Health System, the former Nutrition Center has become , with a mission of bringing “people together to collectively imagine and build a just food system and thriving community� (Gather to Grow, 2025). As evidence of how consistently professor Martinez can be found in the Gather to Grow community garden located behind the Harward Center on Wood Street, one can see her smiling face and fist full of beets on the front page of the Gather to Grow website. She models in her own community engagement the people and relationship-centered approach that her students also took away from the class.

Referencing the food pantry at Gather to Grow, one student reflected, “The volunteers and staff knew people’s names, what they liked, and their demeanor. A sense of consistency and care reminded me of what we discussed in class about relationship-centered food systems. These weren’t just people passing through a line, but they were neighbors. And the pantry wasn’t just about providing food but providing a space of care, stability, and even pride.� Similarly, another student emphasized how their perspective had been challenged: “I came into this class with some assumptions. I thought food justice work would be about charity, about giving to those in need. But I learned from the readings and on the ground that the most powerful food systems are built with communities, not for them.�

In addition to full class trips, students spent two hours each week volunteering on their own at either the community gardens or the food pantry, where they learned about both the consistency and flexibility required in building a just food system. As another student shared, “On my last visit to [Gather to Grow], I convinced some friends to join me. Although we weren’t able to garden due to torrential rain, we were invited into the kitchen, where Claudio put us to work chopping onions and garlic. On my 40th onion, I was reminded that when working in these kinds of positions—where we’re only completing one step in a larger process—it can be hard to see the end result and it can be easy to feel demotivated. Yet, when one of the women leading a course the following day saw that we had significantly cut her prep time, I was reminded that even when the result isn’t tangible, the contribution still holds value.â€� 

This concept of being a small part of a much larger movement is one that we at the Harward Center strive to make clear to all community-engaged learners. For one student working on one small task within one class in one semester, it can be hard to grasp the meaning and impact of community-engaged work as a whole. For a bit of perspective on the larger picture, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has been partnering with Gather to Grow since its founding as the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center in 1999. Kristen Walter, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ class of 2000, leads the organization as its founding executive director, and countless ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, faculty, and staff have worked alongside Kirsten and others to provide volunteer labor and to undertake mutually beneficial research and resource-development projects. 

In similar fashion, professor Martinez’s students also spent time during Short Term moving goats (yes, you read that right!) at Liberation Farms in nearby Wales–an activity rooted in the long-time collaboration between professor emeritus of Anthropology Elizabeth Eames and the Somali Bantu Community Association headquartered in Lewiston. A new generation of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students found their work with Liberation farms a source of perspective change: “Working with goats was something completely new to me.” reflected one of Martinez’s students. “I’d never engaged with livestock before, and it opened my eyes to the scale and care involved in maintaining even a small herd. Goats are not just animals but also part of a sustainability, nutrition, and cultural heritage system for many of the farmers there. Livestock offered food and economic security, and it challenged my assumptions about what counts as a food system. It’s not just vegetables in neat rows, but land, labor, and livelihood all at once.â€� In addition to being a great learning opportunity, helping out with the baby goats infused a healthy dose of cuteness into the field experiences of the class.

Below the surface experiences of pulling bindweed, chopping onions, snuggling baby goats, and pulling up more bindweed, students’ critical reflections expose the deeper purpose of community-engaged learning: assumptions challenged, new sources of knowledge and expertise explored, and becoming a small part of a much larger ecosystem of community organizing and social change. Another participant reflects a final takeaway of community-engaged learning: “It wasn’t until this class that I actually felt like a part of the Lewiston community. Being able to meet people outside of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and contribute to the common good, I now feel much more grounded in my new home.â€� 

Encouraging High Aspirations Among Lewiston’s Middle Schoolers

On two subsequent Fridays, all 360 graduating 8th graders from nearby Lewiston Middle School visited ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to tour campus, explore post-secondary options, and enjoy lunch and field games. These Aspirations Days were organized by the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Aspirations Club, a student organization dedicated to encouraging local youth to consider positive futures for themselves. 

Research suggests that a positive sense of one’s future helps motivate positive choices in the present, so these campus visits were designed to expose kids to diverse possible pathways for themselves and to invite their questions and explorations. In addition to imagining themselves going to a two-year or four-year college, students also learned about a range of trades, and they engaged in activities that helped them think about their own strengths, interests, and dreams in relation to those options. Noticeable on campus by their bright red ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Aspirations Day bags and their easy smiles, our middle school friends clearly had a grand time.

Your Robot or Mine?

In a different engagement with nearby Lewiston Middle School, a team of twelve young coders and their teachers came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to share their work with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students from a course taught by Digital and Computational Studies professor Andy Ricci called “Human-Robot Interaction Design Workshop.â€� 

The middle-schoolers presented games they had created and demonstrated the Ozobots (golf-ball-sized robots) they had programmed. The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students then took a turn and shared their prototypes for robots they developed based on “design for belongingâ€� principles. These robots spit out puzzle pieces and messages of affirmation and invited various games. After the presentations, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and middle school students got into mixed small groups and worked on a design challenge to build the tallest possible structure out of pipe cleaners. The event ended over lunch in the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Dining Commons–always a favorite for local youth. Middle school math coach Angela Burke gushed, “What an amazing day. The experience was incredibly meaningful for our students (and for us)!â€� Based on the enthusiasm exhibited by ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, it was equally meaningful for them.

Under the Sea with 754 Elementary School Kids!

In addition to taking a Short Term class, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students who are part of the student-led Robinson Players dedicate their extra hours to an annual program called “Stages for All Agesâ€� in which they stage a musical in less than a month(!) and perform it for hundreds of local elementary students.

This year, they produced Spongebob: The Musical and performed it three times in the college’s Schaeffer Theater for a total of 754 elementary children from four different local public schools. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ junior Jack Hagan of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was one of the stars of the show. “We’re putting on a show, but more than that, I’ve loved the opportunity to meet new people and spend my Short Term singing, dancing, and having a blast. The best part is performing for the local Lewiston elementary students and seeing their excited, smiling faces when they come to watch the show. Knowing that we’re putting on a musical for them and that they walk away having had such a great time makes the entire process incredibly rewarding.”

Puddles of Fun

This year’s Puddle Arts event–now an annual tradition in the third week of Short Term–looked like it might be a washout, but the rain held off, the kids came, and big fun was had by all. Held on the field next to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Puddle (aka Lake Andrews), Puddle Arts has become a beloved annual event at which ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ clubs and teams, along with one of our amazing community partners, ArtVan, host a variety of art activities and games for youngsters from local after-school programs, including Tree Street Youth and the Root Cellar. From spin art, friendship bracelets, face painting, and collage-making to bubbles, stomp rockets, soccer, and volleyball, there was something for everyone. Happy summer, everyone!

Maggie Kornfeind ’25 of Ringoes, New Jersey was one of two ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ seniors recognized recently for outstanding community-engaged academic work. Below, Maggie discusses her research into experiences of daughterhood among Somali women – research she completed in collaboration with a local community organization, .Ìý

You’ve been collaborating with a Maine-based community partner for several semesters. Who have you been working with, and what approach have you taken in that work?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Maine Community Integration (MCI) over the past year and a half as a student within ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ Psychology Department, working under the guidance of Professor Yun Garrison. MCI aims to empower New Mainers through a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed approach that supports the growth and aspirations of immigrant youth and adults. 

I’ve been grateful to work alongside MCI’s leaders on a few different projects, all of which seek to incorporate Somali youth in community-engaged research that centers the voices of Somali daughters and promotes both collective and individual healing. My research sought to establish relationships built on trust and reciprocity while also helping others define their sense of self. As a student researcher, I aimed to create spaces that promote storytelling, create dialogue around mental health and aspects of identity, and ultimately provide future students at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ with an understanding of how to conduct ethical and meaningful community-engaged research, particularly research related to the Somali refugee community in Lewiston. 

What, specifically, have you been exploring in your research? What methods have you employed, and what are some outcomes of your work?

My research was inspired by and organized around various frameworks that promoted holistic approaches to working with individuals of the Global majority, which examines how people from the Global Majority (GM) cope with and heal from experiences of oppression and racial discrimination (Lee et al., 2023). The GM includes individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, or those who are not white, making up a majority of the world’s population. 

This framework led to a very deliberate balance I used as a researcher to occupy an even amount of activity and productivity in the process of working with MCI, acknowledging my areas of bias and privilege as someone who is not a part of the GM. I worked with all sorts of incredibly strong and kind Somali individuals affiliated with MCI’s programming. In particular, I spent a lot of time creating ways for Somali daughters to explore their sense of self, which led to the identification of various expressions of Somali daughterhood, as experienced and voiced by Somali daughters themselves. 

Using structured interviews, informal conversations, arts-based workshops, thematic analysis, reflexivity, case studies, and feedback surveys, I analyzed many forms of qualitative data to generate definitions of daughterhood. I also worked to apply this research to future considerations within this community. As of now, other ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students conducting community-engaged research will have the opportunity to continue to develop further explorations of Somali daughterhood. 

Why did you opt for community-engaged research instead of other approaches to pursuing new knowledge?

I was drawn to this work because of the kindness and openness of the Somali community, and how much human connection I felt and continue to feel. I immediately felt seen and heard by everyone at MCI, and I wanted to contribute to the selfless and accessible work they do and promote. I also felt passionate about doing work that addressed the intersectional experiences of young women in Lewiston, centering cultural values, gender identity, and other salient aspects of our lived experiences. 

Much of the value of working with MCI to conduct community-engaged research derives from the process of humanizing participants and establishing trust to foster collaboration. It was often the “littleâ€� moments or “behind the scenesâ€� moments that generated these experiences of shared connection: meals, community events, one-on-one conversations at MCI. These were small but important departures from traditional forms of research that isolate the researcher from the “objects” of study and often involve patronizing or dehumanizing relationships with those involved in the research study. Doing research that is rooted in relationships of trust and mutual compassion is humanizing for both the researcher and the community collaborators, and it can yield results that elude more traditional approaches. 

What have you learned about yourself as a result of your community-engaged research?

This experience has truly changed the ways I understand myself as I strive to continue my education and clinical explorations of psychology, providing me with skills to act as both an ethical and compassionate support person. I have practiced asking questions that push me to go further into exploring how my identity as a researcher who holds significant academic privilege impacts the individuals involved in the research experience. As I prepare to head into another community where I will continue to occupy a similar role of working alongside others, I will hold with me the value of vulnerability and kindness shown to me by the Somali community in Lewiston.Ìý