Civic engagement. It’s a phrase used quite often around this campus, and as an academic institution, Tufts promotes various avenues through which students can pursue it. From pre-orientation groups to student organizations to academic programs, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life is the center of civic engagement at Tufts. One of their more rigorous programs, marrying academics with local involvement, is the Tisch Scholars.
“[Tisch Scholars] combines academic coursework, community-based placements and critical reflection with the goal ultimately being to help Scholars deepen their thinking about community issues and ways to address them,” Calvin Zhao, the Tisch College senior programs administrator, said.
According to Zhao, getting students civically engaged with groups outside of Tufts’ ivoried walls is a foundational value of the Tisch Scholars.
“Through the Scholars program, [we] are building a deeper, more thoughtful form of engagement for our students with our local community,” he said.
Favor Enoghama, a junior and second-year Tisch Scholar, reflected on her experience with the program thus far.
“It’s honestly been one of the best parts of my Tufts experience. Anyone that allows me to talk about Tisch Scholars, I’m in their ears,” Enoghama said.
Enoghama appreciates the uniqueness that the Tisch Scholars program offers over a typical major class or external internship.
“Unlike your regular class, … Tisch Scholars is truly a different space,” she said. “It’s a [space to] build community, talk about issues that matter and just overall, how to become change agents in your community in whatever field that you’re trying to go into.”
Sophomore Tyler Alphonse, a first-year Tisch Scholar, shared this sentiment, saying that community was built not only among Scholars in his cohort, but also between him and those in his community placement.
The Scholars participate in these community placements throughout the entirety of the program. Students can stay in the same placement for multiple years, or change the organization they work with every year.
“We have a range of Scholars’ projects, from Scholars who are working with community organizations that focus on issue areas like housing, education, community health, immigration [rights], voting, arts and more,” Zhao said.
Enoghama did her first-year placement with African Community Economic Development of New England, specifically in their Youth In Charge department, where she was their leadership organizer. In this role, she worked on education and outreach with African youth — many who came from immigrant backgrounds — with a focus on social justice movements. She would present to them and lead discussion groups about relevant happenings in places like Palestine, the Republic of the Congo and Sudan.
Enoghama also led Nigerian beading workshops in which she discussed how art can influence social justice and change.
“I knew I was making an impact in the lives of the youth, whether it was educating them more on what’s happening around them … [or] building a connection with them,” she said. “And saying, … ‘Even though you come from these underrepresented backgrounds, you matter and you can make a difference.’ It was really about empowering them.”
While Enoghama changed her placement for her second year, Alphonse plans to stay with the organization he was placed with for at least another year.
“My community placement is The Welcome Project, which is a nonprofit group that specializes in helping the Somerville immigrant community feel empowered politically and breaking down the language barrier that comes with it,” Alphonse said.
Alphonse expressed that through his placement with the Tisch Scholars program, he has been able to help better both himself and his community.
“I find myself to be most fulfilled when I’m at my placement, because I get to see how the kids get to understand, not only how their voice is impactful to their community, but also how there are still challenges that need to be addressed,” he said. “Having them learn how to interpret in different languages and being able to pass that information along to members of their community has been very impactful.”
Both Alphonse and Enoghama have found the Tisch Scholars program to be a rewarding experience overall. Alphonse noted that he could not pin down any particular negative aspects of being a Scholar.
However, Enoghama noticed a particular area of the program that could use some improvement.
“[The Scholars should include] more diverse perspectives in our class discussions. … But I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a negative, more just an opportunity for growth,” she said.
Similarly, Zhao saw potential for the Tisch Scholars program to diversify the academic backgrounds of its students.
“We would love to support students from all disciplines and majors to participate,” Zhao said. “We do want to build additional long-term partnerships with organizations that support community-based work within STEM.”
With applications open for next year’s cohort of Tisch Scholars, Zhao noted that anyone interested in engaging with their local community, in an area that interests them, should consider applying.
“First-years and sophomores should apply … if you’re interested in being in a space and community with others who are also passionate about this work and have genuine care for one another,” he said.
Enoghama and Alphonse both expressed that if someone is considering applying, or on the fence, that they should “just do it.”
“It’s a program that’s very … accommodating in [the] sense that it’s all about community. It’s all about: How can we grow? How can we understand root causes of issues, and how can we move forward and address [them]?” Enoghama said.
The application to join the Tisch Scholars is open to first-years and sophomores, and is due on Feb. 17. There will be an information session tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Barnum 100 for those interested in learning more about the program.
