Two 乐播传媒 students have been awarded 2026 Davis Projects for Peace grants to carry out individual humanitarian projects 鈥� one focused on expanding economic opportunities for women, and the other on safe menstrual waste disposal.

The grantees, Angel Guitcha 鈥�27 of Accra, Ghana, and Vyshu Viju 鈥�26 of Atlanta, will each receive $10,000 to complete projects in Ghana and India, respectively, this summer. Projects for Peace, which is based at Middlebury College, is funding 142 projects in 2026, taking place across 59 countries and seven U.S. states. 

Since its inception in 2007, Projects for Peace has funded more than 2,200 projects. The organization鈥檚 goal is to support student-led, community-centered, and scalable projects addressing pressing issues 鈥� anywhere in the world. To develop their projects, 乐播传媒 students work closely with staff from the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, including Daphne Comeau, associate director for center operations and Davis Partners for Peace campus liaison, and Director of the Harward Center Darby Ray.

Last summer, 2025 Projects for Peace grantee Axelle Tougouma 鈥�27 of Fada N鈥橤ourma, Burkina Faso, led the installation of an irrigation system and agricultural training for women refugees from Burkina Faso living in Ouangolodougou, Ivory Coast. 

Tougouma aimed to create an agricultural system through which refugee women could not only improve their food security but also support themselves financially. She led the three-month-long project virtually while also completing an internship in Boston. 

鈥淚t was definitely fulfilling,鈥� Tougouma says. 鈥淚t also made me realize that the small action we do can also contribute in solving problems. Because sometimes when I sit down and I read news about my country, about terrorism attacks, and [I see] those millions of people being displaced, I wonder, being abroad and not living in that situation, how can I give back to my community?鈥� 

Tougouma hired an engineer to install the irrigation system, identified teachers to lead agricultural lessons, and gave financial literacy classes via WhatsApp. While managing the $10,000 project budget, she leaned on what she鈥檚 learned at 乐播传媒 as an economics major and math minor.

鈥淲e really needed to maximize our budget at some points, and that required giving up on some things,鈥� Tougouma says.

Since the project鈥檚 conclusion, Tougouma has remained in contact with the refugee women 鈥� as has the irrigation engineer, who has offered ongoing consultation free-of-charge 鈥� and plans to pursue other grant and funding opportunities to continue her work in Ouangolodougou.

鈥淸We are] making sure that they feel like we are still supporting them, and this is something that we really care about,鈥� Tougouma says. 鈥淲e are definitely ready to step in if other opportunities open up.鈥�

2026 Davis grantee Angel Guitcha applied for Projects for Peace after learning about the opportunity from Tougouma. She will be completing her project, 鈥淜ayayei Artisan Initiative: Economic Empowerment for Women in Accra,鈥� in Ghana, which borders both Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.听

In Accra, Ghana鈥檚 capital city, tens of thousands of women workers called 鈥渒ayayei鈥� make their living as porters, carrying heavy loads of market items in large baskets atop their heads. When Guitcha was growing up in Accra, she met a girl working as a kayayoo. The girl was desperate to earn a living after a rape made her a mother at only 12. Her circumstances were not unusual; many kayayei work for as little as a few dollars a day in unsafe labor conditions, sleeping on the streets where they are vulnerable to gender-based violence.

Talking with the girl, Guitcha became determined to organize a project to improve kayayei鈥檚 quality of life. 

鈥淭hat conversation sort of radicalized me. 鈥� That was a very difficult conversation to have with someone at that age,鈥� Guitcha says.

Guitcha will return to Accra this summer to coordinate a six-week workshop on craftsmanship skills for 50 kayayei, with the goal of fostering autonomy and economic empowerment. Women will learn how to make beaded jewelry and embellish Kente clothing, then how to sew reusable menstrual pads with fabric leftover from textile companies. In addition to teaching the women how to create products they can sell and keeping discarded fabric out of landfills, the workshop will also make it easier for the women to take care of their menstrual health, which they often don鈥檛 have the money or time to properly maintain. 

At the end of the workshop, Guitcha will host a graduation ceremony, during which the women will be able to sell the products they鈥檝e made.

鈥淚’m hoping that they leave their workshops feeling more empowered and more in control of their lives,鈥� Guitcha says.

Guitcha, a biochemistry major with a math minor, volunteers regularly in the Lewiston community through the Harward Center and at St. Mary鈥檚 Hospital. She plans to attend medical school.

鈥淚’m very passionate about community service,鈥� Guitcha says. 

Davis grantee Vyshu Viju will head to India this summer for her project 鈥淪ustainable Cycles: Integrating Hygiene Equity and Waste Sovereignty in Chelannur,鈥� which aims to improve access to menstrual waste disposal by installing trash incinerators specifically for menstrual waste.

The town of Chelannur, where Viju鈥檚 grandparents live, is known for its excellent trash management system. However, menstrual product waste is excluded from regular trash pickup because of health safety concerns. Residents are instead expected to dispose of it at a site two hours away, but many residents burn their menstrual waste at home, Viju says, which causes pollution.

鈥淭hey’re supposed to collect [their menstrual waste] for two to three months and then throw it away,鈥� Viju says. 鈥淏ut most people just find that to be a lot of work, and it just takes up too much of their time.鈥�

Viju and her grandparents will together work to secure government approval for the incinerators, then purchase and install them around Chelannur. 

鈥淚’m hoping it decreases pollution and creates a more sustainable pathway in the way that trash is done,鈥� Viju says. The incinerators鈥� emissions from burning waste could also be harvested as an energy source, she says. 

Viju has long been passionate about issues related to reproductive justice and access; she volunteers with Maine Family Planning as a Harward Center Bonner Leader and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroendocrinology. She thought up the idea for the incinerators in conjunction with her grandmother, who is involved in a local feminist group called Kudumbashree.

Staff at the Harward Center were instrumental in helping the project come together, Viju says, including Comeau and Ray, along with Ellen Alcorn, associate director of community-engaged learning and director of student leadership programs, who initially connected Viju with Maine Family Planning.

Viju has also learned a lot about waste management while working as a landscape assistant with 乐播传媒 Facility Services, specifically from 乐播传媒 grounds and maintenance workers Amy Ray and Ian Brownlie.

鈥淭hat’s been a very meaningful part of my 乐播传媒 experience, and I think it very much inspired this project,鈥� Viju says.

Both Projects for Peace are scheduled to be completed by September.

This past summer, 乐播传媒 offered 128 Purposeful Work internships in 18 states, the District of Columbia, and seven countries outside the U.S.听

Another five dozen students did funded research on campus with 乐播传媒 professors across 14 academic disciplines, or had off-campus academic internships. Other students held internships with community organizations through 乐播传媒’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Last week, we shared stories and photographs of students who had summer internships outside Maine. This week, it’s back to Maine, and to 乐播传媒, for Part 2.

鈥業鈥檓 glad to be making the most of these opportunities鈥� 鈥� Pat Cullinane 鈥�25

The place: A research lab in Bonney Science Center at 乐播传媒

The job: Cullinane, a biochemistry major from Quincy, Mass., worked with four fellow students in the research lab of Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Martin Kruse.

The research team is studying an important but not fully understood protein found in our cells that might play a critical role in several neurological conditions, such as epilepsy and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

Cullinane has his sights set on graduate school, so the professional experience of working in the Kruse lab has “been a great tool for gaining exposure with techniques and what a layout would look like in a post-grad lab as opposed to undergrad labs.”

One of Cullinane’s research partner was Sebenele Lukhele 鈥�26, a biological chemistry major from Manzini, Eswatini, 鈥淭his research lets me solve real-life problems in biochemistry. Plus, the community here has made the experience much more than just lab work 鈥� it鈥檚 a whole growth process.鈥�

Cullinane has enjoyed going from neophyte to now standing on his own two feet as a researcher. 鈥淎 lot of labs are set up for you, but in this lab, you have a lot of control. You can share your ideas and guide your experience,鈥� he says. 

The quote: 鈥淟earning how to design your own experiments is pretty awesome.鈥�

鈥楳y goal was to ensure they were having the best experience possible鈥� 鈥� Chidera Kalu-Uka 鈥�27

The place: Tree Street Youth in Lewiston

The job: A sociology major from Katy, Texas, Kalu-Uka was a Harward Center Summer Fellow at Tree Street Youth, where she supervised a group of third- and fourth-graders, becoming a mentor, friend, and active participant in their growth and joy.

Before Kalu-Uka fell in love with 乐播传媒, she fell in love with Lewiston, and a summer spent at downtown Tree Street Youth 鈥渉as only strengthened that love.鈥�

Under the leadership of executive director Julia Sleeper 鈥�08, who co-founded the organization with Kim Sullivan 鈥�13, Tree Street is a cornerstone youth support and aspirations program located in downtown Lewiston. 鈥淎s someone who moved to this country only six years ago, I feel resonance with the impact Tree is making,鈥� said Kalu-Uka.

The 乐播传媒 Center for Purposeful Work encourages a developmental approach to the search for a rewarding career, with ample opportunities for both discovery and reflection. Kalu-Uka鈥檚 summer at Tree Street prompted her to reflect on her academic and career goals, which had been focused solely on pre-health and public health.

She now plans to major in sociology, minor in education, and stay on a pre-health and public-health track and pursue a career “dedicated to working with underserved communities, whether that be in public health, healthcare, or education.鈥�

The quote: 鈥淚鈥檝e discovered that my interests can intersect without sacrificing any of them.”

鈥業鈥檝e been infected with the pure joy and curiosity of the kids鈥� 鈥� Shenandoah Waugh 鈥�26

The place: Harpswell (Maine) Heritage Land Trust

The job: As a Purposeful Work intern who had never worked with children before, Shenandoah (Shenny) Waugh took on the daunting task of teaching, guiding, and herding 16 young children, ages 4 to 6, for five days a week, at the land trust鈥檚 popular Nature Day Camp, located along the Maine coast.

鈥淚t was challenging and intimidating,鈥� says Waugh, who discovered that working with children sparked a feeling of purpose. 鈥� Working with young kids is so engaging, fun, and refreshing.鈥�

The camp provides screen-free opportunity to engage with nature. As technology continues to create a barrier between ourselves and the natural world, 鈥渋t is so important to offer these young kids an experience where fun is tech-free, and we embrace free exploration, curiosity, and even boredom,鈥� Waugh says.

A double major in chemistry and European studies from Lyons, Colo., Waugh is a 乐播传媒 Outing Club outdoor program manager and a Registered Maine Guide. 鈥淓ngaging with the BOC on campus has shown me what outdoor education looks like and potential career paths.鈥�

The quote: 鈥淲orking with young kids outdoors feels even more purposeful.鈥�

鈥業 always look forward to the camaraderie鈥� 鈥� Bora Lugunda 鈥�25

The place: Ladd Library, 乐播传媒 College

The job: For Lugunda, a history major from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, this was her third summer working on campus as a field assistant for Information and Library Services.

Paul Adutwum 鈥�27 of Tepa, Ghana, split his time between the ILS Help Desk in Ladd and the Harward Center, where he supported projects related to community-engaged learning and research. He also wrote blog posts featuring student experiences in community engagement.

鈥淚 have a pretty awesome set of bosses and really feel like an appreciated part of the team,鈥� says Lugunda, who takes care of computer setups and upgrades for faculty, staff, and labs. “I always look forward to the camaraderie through restaurant suggestions, conversations about AI, and random banter.鈥�

Adutwum said he was “thrilled” to be on campus, and was looking forward to another gig, a soon-to-begin research project on Ulam-like sequences (patterns and rules found in number sequences built from sums) with Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics Senia Sheydvasser.

The quote: 鈥淚 am looking forward to an exciting and productive summer!鈥� 鈥� Adutwum

鈥業t made me think of my own position and privileges in the context of a bigger community鈥� 鈥� Ganga Corsaro 鈥�26

The place: St. Mary鈥檚 Nutrition Center in Lewiston

The job: As Purposeful Work interns, Corsaro, a double major in environmental studies and Chinese from St. Paul, Minn., and Haley Wilkins 鈥�25, an American Studies major from Hoboken, N.J., saw and supported the growth of 10 local community gardens. 

They mulched, weeded, cleared, and created garden beds; provided community gardeners with seeds and seedlings; handled food deliveries for the Nutrition Center鈥檚 food pantry; and supported youth programs at Geiger and Montello elementary schools and at Hillview Resource Center. 

For Wilkins, the internship revealed the importance of community and place to her own purposeful work. She also valued how the Nutrition Center constantly adapts to 鈥渘ew needs and circumstances with collaborative brainstorming.鈥� Corsaro learned that her own purposeful work will need to be 鈥減roactive and intentional 鈥� actively contributing in ways that reflect who you are and what you stand for.鈥�

The experience deepened Corsaro’s appreciation of her adopted hometown of Lewiston. 鈥淭he community鈥檚 diversity and strength, and the work people are doing to improve their own lives and the community as a whole, really surprised me.”

The quote: 鈥淚t sounds simple to some, but witnessing seeds growing and producing food has been more exciting and rewarding than I expected.鈥� 鈥� Wilkins

鈥業t鈥檚 very beautiful, and obviously different from fall or winter鈥� 鈥� Harris Ramlee 鈥�25

The place: Bonney Science Center

The job: Ramlee, a biology major from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, spent his summer on campus working as a technician in the college鈥檚 vivarium.

In his downtime, Ramlee enjoyed strolling around campus, soaking in the summer weather 鈥� his first summer spent in the U.S. His friend Paul Zhou 鈥�25, a psychology major from Beijing, agrees with the weather assessment. In winter, there鈥檚 snow and less light, but 鈥渋n the summer, it looks absolutely beautiful.鈥�

Ramlee has also taken time to explore Maine, hiking and visiting the beach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very amazing,鈥� he says. 

The quote: 鈥淭he campus looks absolutely beautiful.鈥� 鈥� Zhou

During her first semester at 乐播传媒, Hannah McKenzie 鈥�21 co-taught a class at Lewiston’s Immigrant Resource Center of Maine for English-language learners.

Her fellow teacher was Hamza Abdi, an academic administrative assistant at 乐播传媒. In the middle of each class, Abdi would leave and then reappear with two cups of traditional Somali tea. 鈥淔lavored with spices like cinnamon and cardamom and sweetened in condensed milk,” McKenzie remembers. 鈥淚 loved that tea.鈥澨�

She assumed he was making it in the break room, only to learn months later that he was buying it in the market downstairs. She told Abdi that she didn鈥檛 want him spending his money on her. 鈥淎fter all, if I come to the center twice weekly for four years, that鈥檚 a lot of money.”

Abdi laughed, pointing out a cultural pride point. In Djiboutian and other Eastern African cultures, he said, money is best for gestures of sharing and听 appreciation.

“Someone in his culture doesn鈥檛 鈥榣ose鈥� money,” McKenzie learned. “People essentially take turns paying for their friends.鈥�

Flash forward to the pandemic summer of 2020. Supported by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, McKenzie is now a Bonner Leader who splits her time between two remote summer internships, with IRCM and another agency that supports new Mainers, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.

Recalling tea time with Abdi three years ago, McKenzie has still found ways to support and connect with the local immigrant community in person, including making regular stops at Lisbon Street鈥檚 Heritage Restaurant for a cup of tea 鈥� a small purchase that reminds her of that early and big cultural lesson she learned as a first-year.

Since she will live off-campus and cook for herself in the fall, 鈥淚 look forward to getting whatever groceries I can here,鈥� she says. And she鈥檒l keep getting tea at the Heritage Restaurant.

鈥淚 really appreciate the culture of collectivity that surrounds it. These kinds of cultural lessons are what have made my experience of Lewiston and my studies of anthropology at 乐播传媒 so eye-opening and so meaningful.鈥澨�

Here鈥檚 what other 乐播传媒 students with 乐播传媒-funded summer internships and academic fellowships said about how those in-person experiences have been guiding forces for what they want to do in life.

Anna Maheu ’21 of New York City

Major: Religious Studies

Project: St. Mary鈥檚 Nutrition Center, a food security organization for food insecure and otherwise vulnerable families, with integrated programs including urban community gardens, children鈥檚 gardening and cooking programs, cooking and nutrition education programs, youth leadership programs, food access initiatives, and a food pantry.

Funding: Harward Center Summer Civic Fellows funded through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships

Focus: Supporting the Nutrition Center鈥檚 various gardens throughout Lewiston-Auburn, maintaining educational gardens, assisting the food pantry in its efforts to adapt to COVID-19 through food deliveries, and the Good Food Bus.

Location: Lewiston, Maine

Student says: Living and working in the Lewiston community has taught me a lot about what it really means to invest in the place one calls home. I鈥檝e had the opportunity to work so closely with individuals who have committed themselves to connecting community members to food, land, and each other. I鈥檝e also been given a ground-level look at the myriad ways that food justice and access is pursued.

听The experience has reaffirmed how fundamental food and soil are to the lives we live, the power structures we must work against, and the relationships we cultivate.

Josiah Krul ’21 of Rockport, Maine

Major: Psychology

Project: Points North Institute, an organization that hosts the annual Camden International Film Festival, the primary project he helped to produce.

Funding: Purposeful Work initiative

Focus: The usual venue for the Festival鈥檚 event, the Camden Opera House, closed temporarily due to the pandemic, so PNI decided to build a drive-in movie theater, creating a new听 venue for the 2020 festival.

Location: Rockport, Maine

Student says: I’ve learned to be comfortable rolling with the punches.

After a rapid few weeks of planning and construction, the Shotwell Drive-In opened on July 16, offering the Mid-coast community a fun and safe social activity outside the house.

听The Purposeful Work-funded internship provides challenges that push the team and me to discover innovative and efficient solutions. The internship has encouraged me to learn new skills, whether it be coding new pages for the website, constructing panels for a drive-in movie screen, or organizing volunteer opportunities for events.

听Working with PNI has further shown me how much I enjoy working with community members to provide people from all walks in life with a reason to smile.

Georgia Moses ’21 of Arlington, Mass.

Major: Politics

Project: Working with Hillview Family Development, a public housing community in Lewiston that provides affordable housing and a variety of resources for the families that live there.

Funding: Harward Center Summer Civic Fellows funded through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships

Focus: Developing and leading socially-distanced art programming with children at Hillview and planning for 乐播传媒 student remote engagement with the organization in the fall.

Location: Lewiston, Maine

Student says: Many of the kids I’m working with haven鈥檛 participated in activities in a structured way since March. I鈥檓 learning that they are incredibly eager to put their minds to work and spend time outside around others. I鈥檓 not sure they miss school per se, but they鈥檙e itching to do things. It’s been exciting to watch and has made the project successful.

听I鈥檝e learned that working with kids during a pandemic is a challenge. I鈥檝e had to set a lot of ground rules in order for the programming to run smoothly and safely, from distancing to mask wearing to hand sanitizing. That said, I鈥檝e been really impressed by the level of understanding these kids have. They clearly know the importance of keeping themselves and their communities safe and healthy.

Gabriele Gucagaite ’21 of Kaunas, Lithuania

Major: Chemistry

Project: Visualizing Engrams

Funding: Faculty Grant

Focus: Working with Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Andrew Kennedy to create slides and images that show, through fluorescent imaging of brain proteins, actual mouse memories, such as a specific taste or smell. The research also involves altering or enhancing the memories that a mouse has.

Location: 乐播传媒 College

Student says: It is awe inspiring to be able to look at a neuronal network coding for a specific learning experience. It feels like looking at a map of someone’s mind, even if that someone is a mouse. I wonder what kind of map my memories of this research formed.

James Calhoon ’21 of Menlo Park, Calif.

Majors: Biology and Economics

Project: Species Interaction in a Changing Ocean

Funding: 乐播传媒 Environmental Internship

Focus: Studying the feeding preferences of green and red sea urchins, and how those choices might be affected by an invasive brown seaweed, Sargassum muticum.

Location: Friday Harbor Laboratories is a marine biology field station of the College of the Environment, University of Washington, located on San Juan Island.

Student says: The labs buzz with scientific curiosity, and everyone is very invested and interested in other people鈥檚 research, making it a welcoming community. Above all I really appreciate the resources that [Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology] Katie [Dobkowski] and the labs have provided in allowing me the freedom and creativity to set up and conduct my own independent research. I have never before been the lead researcher on a project and it has been extremely valuable in thinking through a project from start to finish.

Hannah Golub 鈥�21 of Bellaire, Texas

Major: Psychology

Project: St. Mary鈥檚 Nutrition Center, a food security organization for food insecure and otherwise vulnerable families, the Nutrition Center鈥檚 integrated programs include urban community gardens, children鈥檚 gardening and cooking programs, cooking and nutrition education programs, youth leadership programs, food access initiatives, and a food pantry.

Funding: Harward Center Summer Civic Fellows funded through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships

Focus: With the arrival of the pandemic, Golub鈥檚 original summer assignment to run the children鈥檚 gardening program changed. She has helped to distribute food by packaging hundreds of bags filled with produce and perishables and staffing a mobile farmer鈥檚 market. She鈥檚 also听 prepared at-home activities for summer school students. And spent a great deal of time outside, being essentially an urban farmer.

Location: Lewiston, Maine

Student says: This summer certainly looks a lot different from what I expected. I did not realize how many gardens I would get to work in and how that would enrich the experience.

听I feel like I have the best of both worlds because I still get to spend a lot of time in the gardens, but now I鈥檓 learning and taking part in the food security and distribution programs of St. Mary’s.

Hannah McKenzie ’21 of Stevenson, Md.

Major: Anthropology

Project: The Immigrant Resource Center of Maine and Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project

Funding: 听Harward Summer Civic Fellows funded through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships

Focus: For IRCM, working primarily with Executive Director Fatuma Hussein, providing grant-writing assistance for culturally-specific, gender-based violence prevention and survivor support programs. Also, continuing to teach IRCM English Class, which she has taught since her first semester at 乐播传媒. For ILAP, working under the guidance of staff attorney Alice Kopij, primarily researching听 conditions in immigrants鈥� countries of origin to be used for developing legal cases. She鈥檚 also worked on a self guide for people making pro se citizenship applications.

Location: Lewiston, Maine

Student says: We鈥檙e in a time of multiple crises, and it鈥檚 felt incredibly valuable to be a part of the Lewiston community鈥檚 response to them. I鈥檝e seen how refugee and immigrant staff from IRCM are working so tirelessly to support their community鈥攔esponding to needs, from advocating for local government health support to coordinating rides for their neighbors to go to the doctor for COVID-19 tests when they can鈥檛 drive themselves.

It鈥檚 been inspiring to see, too, how these local organizations partner together; often, I鈥檓 in a Zoom meeting and notice that my supervisors from both organizations are present on the call. I鈥檝e seen how Lewiston communities collaborate and help each other, and that鈥檚 given me hope.

I鈥檝e also spent a lot of time this summer thinking about what my role is鈥攁nd what it can鈥檛 be鈥攊n work supporting the refugee community. This is not my community as it is for the staff with whom I work at IRCM. I鈥檓 learning to be an advocate responsive to community needs and direction. It鈥檚 a lesson I鈥檒l take with me wherever I go in life

Katrina Johnson ’21 of Stratham, N.H.

Major: Biology

Project: Species Interaction in a Changing Ocean

Funding: Hoffman Research Support Grant

Focus: Investigating the little-known feeding preferences of the graceful kelp crab

Location: Friday Harbor Laboratories is a marine biology field station of the College of the Environment, University of Washington, located on San Juan Island.

Student says: Being from the East Coast, I had never studied West Coast ocean ecosystems in person. To snorkel and see seals playing in kelp forests underwater is extraordinary. Living and working at a world-renowned lab, I have been able to meet and talk with many scientists, but I have also formed lasting relationships with the other student researchers who have made these crazy COVID times a whole lot easier.

There is a special sense of passion towards all things ocean at Friday Harbor Labs. To work alongside scientists with such passion, like my advisor Katie Dobkowski, has invigorated my own sense of excitement about my thesis research and the research I will conduct as a scientist in the future.

One of three 乐播传媒 students to receive 2012 Harward Center student awards for community-based academic work, Catherine Elliott ’12 first made a splash at 乐播传媒 by collecting enough yogurt lids to win a contest benefiting the local Boys & Girls Club.

In a May 8 ceremony, the 乐播传媒 College office responsible for sustaining relationships between the college and the community honored 15 persons and organizations for their efforts to strengthen college-community ties.

The sixth annual presentation of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships Awards took place at the Edmund S. Muskie Archives at 乐播传媒.

Rooted in 乐播传媒’ educational mission, the Harward Center is a focal point for connected learning that harmonizes the 乐播传媒 education with community interests. Award recipients have been especially successful at connecting 乐播传媒 with the larger community through collaboration, research and service.

Here are the 2012 award recipients:
Three 乐播传媒 seniors received the Student Award for Outstanding Community-Based Academic Work: Jordan Conwell of Rocky River, Ohio; Catherine Elliott of Edina, Minn.; and Deborah Mack of Tarrytown, N.Y. The Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism and Student Leadership went to three seniors: Alyse Bigger of Dorchester, Mass.; Allison Kamm of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Lucy O鈥橩eefe of Chicago.

Two 乐播传媒 faculty members were honored with Harward Center awards. Visiting Assistant Professor of English Mollie Godfrey received the Faculty Award for Outstanding New Community Partnership Initiative, in recognition of her work with 乐播传媒 students on the documentary archives of the Portland branch of the NAACP.

Associate Professor of Psychology Krista Aronson was given the Faculty Award for Sustained Commitment to Community Partnership.

One honor, the Award for Outstanding Community Project/Partnership, went to all the participants (including community partners) in a 乐播传媒 course: Educating for Democracy, taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Jen Sandler.

Named for the Phippsburg conservation area administered by the college, the 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Stewardship went to Don Bruce, gatekeeper at the conservation area. Also recognizing service to the natural environment, Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne received the 2012 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Lifetime Achievement.

Community Partner Awards for Outstanding New Initiative were presented to Robin Fleck of the Auburn school department’s Project SHIFA, which makes culturally appropriate mental health services available to local Somali youths and their families; and to Tree Street Youth, an organization founded by a 乐播传媒 alumna that supports local youth through academics, arts and athletics.

The other community partners honored with Harward Center awards were:
Museum L-A, which received the Community Partner Award for Sustained Commitment to Partnership; and Estelle Rubinstein, former executive director of Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care, who received the James and Sally Carignan Award for Career Achievement.

Twenty individuals and organizations that received the second annual 乐播传媒 College Harward Center for Community Partnership Awards, were recently recognized in a celebration at the Edmund S. Muskie Archives.

Firmly rooted in the academic purpose of the college, the Harward Center serves as a focal point for connected learning — an education that fuses academic discussion and community. Reflecting this mission, award recipients connect 乐播传媒 with the larger community through collaboration, research and service.

The following individuals and organizations were honored:

鈥� Joan Macri, college aspirations coordinator, Lewiston High School, recipient of the 2008 James and Sally Carignan Award for Career Achievement;

鈥� Carolyn McNamara and Ariel Childs, both 乐播传媒 class of 2008, recipients of the 2008 Harward Center Student Award for Outstanding Community-Based Academic Work;

鈥� Elizabeth Lydon, Thomas Burian and Erin Reed, all 乐播传媒 class of 2008, recipients of the 2008 Harward Center Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism and Student Leadership;

鈥� Whitehouse Professor of Sociology Emily Kane, recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Faculty Award for Outstanding New Community Partnership Initiatives;

鈥� Associate Professor of Biology Lee Abrahamsen, recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Faculty Award for Sustained Commitment to Community Partnership;

鈥� Anthony Shostak, education coordinator for the 乐播传媒 College Museum of Art, recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Staff Award for Outstanding Support for Community Partnership;

鈥� Sarah Potter, 乐播传媒 class of 1977, bookstore director and contract officer, recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Staff Award for Community Volunteerism and Leadership;

鈥� YADA (Youth + Adults + Dialogue = Action), recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Community Partner Award for Outstanding New Initiative;

鈥� Lewiston Adult Education, recipient of the 2008 Harward Center Community Partner Award for Sustained Commitment to Partnership;

鈥� Lecturer of Anthropology Heather Lindkvist, Ismail Ahmed, Omar Ahmed, Fatuma Hussein, Azeb Hassan and Gure Ali, recipients of the 2008 Harward Center Award for Outstanding Community Project/Partnership;

鈥� Professor of Geology Michael Retelle, recipient of the 2008 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Stewardship; and

鈥� Susan Hayward, recipient of the 2008 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Lifetime Achievement.

Twelve individuals and organizations, recipients of the first 乐播传媒 College Harward Center for Community Partnership Awards, were recently recognized in a celebration at the Edmund S. Muskie Archives.

Firmly rooted in the academic purpose of the college, the Harward Center serves as a focal point for connected learning that fuses academic discussion and community. In union with this mission, award recipients connect 乐播传媒 with the larger community through collaboration, research and service.

The following individuals and organizations were honored:

鈥⑻�Jim Carignan, 乐播传媒 class of 1961, recipient of the 2007 James and Sally Carignan Award for Career Achievement, for academic leadership and civic engagement;
鈥⑻�Michael Wilson, 乐播传媒 class of 2007, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Student Award for Outstanding Community-Based Academic Work, for sustained collaboration with Museum L-A, the Museum of Labor and Industry;
鈥⑻�Sara Gips, 乐播传媒 class of 2007, recipient of the Harward Center Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism and Student Leadership, for volunteer participation and organization at the Trinity Jubilee Resource Center;
鈥⑻鼳ssistant Professor of French Alexandre Dauge-Roth, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Faculty Award for Outstanding New Community Partnership Initiative, for partnering with Tutsi survivors of the genocide in Rwanda;
鈥⑻齈rofessor of Psychology Georgia Nigro, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Faculty Award for Sustained Commitment to Community Partnership, for tireless advocacy on behalf of her students and the community;
鈥⑻�乐播传媒 College Dining Services, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Staff Award for Outstanding Support for Community Partnership, for nourishing the 乐播传媒 community and enhancing the college’s commitment to the neighboring and world community;
鈥⑻�Leigh Campbell, 乐播传媒 class of 1964, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Staff Award for Community Volunteerism and Leadership, for 30 years of tireless outreach to the community through financial aid;
鈥⑻�College for ME-Androscoggin, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Community Partner Award for Outstanding New Initiative, for its efforts to increase the number of Maine students who have attained a higher education degree;
鈥⑻�Carla Harris, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Community Partner Award for Sustained Commitment to Partnership, for implementing programs for youth, seniors and disabled residents of Lewiston Housing Authority;
鈥⑻�Museum L-A, recipient of the 2007 Harward Center Award for Outstanding Community Project/Partnership, for strengthening community and connections by documenting and celebrating Lewiston-Auburn’s economic, social and technological legacy;
鈥⑻�Kirsten Walter, 乐播传媒 class of 2000, recipient of the 2007 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Stewardship; for promoting sustainable agriculture and establishing a sense of community pride that has the power to transform individuals and urban neighborhoods;
鈥⑻�Judy Marden, 乐播传媒 class of 1966, recipient of the 2007 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Award for Environmental Lifetime Achievement, for the stewardship of 乐播传媒-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and the Shortridge Coastal Center.