Each year, all Civic Scholars contribute at least 100 hours of community service or experiential learning activities. (Many complete much more!) Of those hours, 50 must be completed while Drew is in session to model civic engagement and to include other Drew community members.  Community engagement or experiential learning hours take many forms: on and off campus events, internships and community-based learning classes, community-based research or advocacy projects, leading or attending a student club service event, study abroad opportunities, and participating in alternative break trips. The Civic Engagement staff can help you locate opportunities and transportation.

First Year Civic Scholar Highlights:

• Join a Living Learning Community in a residence hall with fellow Civic Scholars
• Enroll in Personal Responsibility, Civic Duty, Social Need: The Complexities of Civic Engagement or Global Peacebuilding and Interfaith Leadership (for those accepted into the global track). This First Year Drew Seminars (DSEM) are prioritized for Civic Scholars and include 18-20 hours of community service or experiential learning activities over the course of the semester.
• Attend the weekly one-credit CE 101 “Civic Engagement Workshop” together: Work in teams to plan and execute a Civic Team Project that addresses an important social issue and a community beyond Drew.

Sophomore Year Civic Scholar Highlights:

• Complete a 2-credit (70 hour) Civic Internship with a non-profit or government agency. This opportunity provides professional experience, vocational exploration, in-depth exposure to an issue of interest, as well as a significant amount of assistance to an organization. Many Civic Scholars complete multiple internships during their time at Drew. Visit the Center for Internships and Career Development website more information on completing a Drew internship.
• Complete at least five interactive, 2-hour Civic Skills Workshops led by experienced facilitators. Workshop topics include event planning, multi-cultural competency, conflict resolution, teamwork and professional communication

Junior Year Civic Scholar Highlights:

• Enroll in Community-Based Learning (CBL) classes, civic internships, and/or selected global programs.
• Participate in professional development activities including the Civically Engaged Alumni Networking Event and the Drew Career Fair to develop important and necessary skills for networking and job seeking.
• Prepare for your Senior Civic project by researching and submitting an Issue Focus Statement.
• Pitch your Senior Civic Project at the Civic Scholars Spring Wrap-Up

Senior Year Civic Scholar Highlights:

• Enroll in the one credit CE 350: Senior Civic Workshop
• Complete your Senior Civic Project and present it at the Civic Engagement Showcase and Awards Ceremony in April
• Achieve a deep understanding of an issue or problem from both a community and academic perspective
• Graduate with a strong practical skill-set that will help you succeed in whatever you choose to do after graduation.
• Graduate with Civic Honors!

Internships create unique opportunities to practice skills and theories learned in the classroom and see how they are applied in the workplace. Drew University offers internship opportunities with hundreds of companies and organizations close to campus and across the country.

Contact the Center for Internships and Career Development for more information about these opportunities.

Civic Scholar Gabi Bisconti C’16 had five internships in her time at Drew. Gabi interned for Joseph R. Patenaude Theater, New York Women in Film and Television, Night Castle Management, Greater Media NJ and ARTS by the People.

Our Civics are a pretty amazing group. We admit about 35 students each year for a total enrollment of about 140 Civic Scholars in all four years of the program. Here are just a few of them!

CLASS OF 2021

Victoria Adams was selected for a winter term internship with the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking. This competitive internship culminated in the creation of a PSA entitled “How NJ is Battling Human Trafficking.” She has continued this focus on law and justice in NJ by interning over the summer at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in Toms River.

Nohemy Zabala recorded an astounding 203 hours of community service hours at Morristown Neighborhood House during her first year at Drew. She was assigned to NABE for her First Year Civic service placement but quickly become an invaluable part of the team, acting as a program coordinator for the College Prep and ESOL programs.

CLASS OF 2020

Kassel Franco-Garribay is an international student from Mexico, majoring in IR and W&GS with a minor in Latin American Studies. She’s a Civic and Baldwin Scholar, RA, Tour Guide and Student Philanthropy Ambassador. She has a strong focus on immigrant issues and may be headed to law school.  In her first year, she completed her weekly civic service placement with Neighborhood House, assisting adult ESOL learners. In her Sophomore year, she completed a 4-credit 150-hour internship with the Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs, assisting their clients with translation in court appearances regarding their immigration status, among other things.

Virginia Leach is a Sociology major, French minor. She is also on the CLA student representative of the CLA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, helping to organize a number of campus-wide events.  She is interested in addressing the issues around the importance of and access to education for children and youth from marginalized backgrounds. In her First Year, she completed her weekly civic service placement with Neighborhood House, assisting in their homework center. She returned her Sophomore year to complete an academic internship there. She is work-study eligible and so received compensation for her internship hours through the Federal Work Study Program.  She has returned to her public school in Baltimore on several occasions to speak with and mentor students about the college experience and its attainability. NOTE: She was highlighted in Drew Today as an admitted student, prior to her entering her First Year.

Mason Scher is a Civic and Baldwin Scholar, majoring in Chemistry, with a focus on environmental research.  In her first year, she gained valuable work experience at the Interfaith Food Pantry and then the International Rescue Committee, completing her weekly community service placement.  She completed an academic internship in the fall semester of her Sophomore Year with the Great Swamp Watershed Association, providing educational programming and water quality testing among other tasks.  This led to her completing a second internship there in the Spring semester where she became more involved in the organization’s work.

Anthony Tagliaferro is a Civic Scholar, tour guide, a Student Philanthropy Ambassador, a Writing Fellow and a member of the Varsity Baseball Team at Drew University. He is majoring in political science with plans to pursue a Law degree. During his Sophomore year, he interned at the Borough of Madison under Chief Financial Officer Jim Burnet, gaining experience in local government.  This summer, he is completing his second summer paid academic internship at the law offices of Marino, Tortorella & Boyle, P.C. He met Mr. Marino in his first year while completing his weekly civic placement at Furniture Assist.

CLASS OF 2019

Jordan Burnett is a Civic and Baldwin Scholar. She began her junior year by participating in the Drew Honduras Project trip to the Dominican Republic. She also went to Puerto Rico during Alternative Spring Break with the VRC for hurricane relief efforts. She is an RA, the co-president of the Civic Scholar Advisory Committee and the event coordinator for the DPB. She has been named the student leader for next year’s Fair for Emerging Researchers. She has done all of this while pursuing a double major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, receiving Dean’s List 4 out of 5 semesters.

Kelly Duddy is a Baldwin and Civic Scholar working towards her BA in French and History, with minors in Dance and Holocaust Studies; simultaneously, she is beginning coursework for her MAT in Secondary Education.  She has volunteered at Morristown NABE, Catholic Campus Ministries, Dreamyard Foundation, and participated in the Alternative Spring Break to Puerto Rico for hurricane relief efforts. She interned at Arts by the People in her sophomore year. She was selected to participate in the Rise Student Leadership Conference in 2017. This summer she is an education intern at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC, which will help shape her Senior Civic project on Holocaust education.

Kayla Jackson is a Neuroscience major, completed her weekly Civic service placement in her First Year at Homeless Solutions where she assisted children while their parents attended required workshops.  In her Sophomore year she completed an academic internship, assisting low income seniors in the dementia unit of Morris View Medical Center. Her Senior civic project will be a substantial research project under the supervision of Patrick Dolan. It will focus on recreational therapy and how to assist elderly dementia patients. She is also a Writing Fellow and a member of the XC team.

Shayna Miller is a future arts educator and has built her experiences at Drew around that goal. She has interned at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, providing art education and outreach to students in Elizabeth, NJ. She is coordinator for Arts of Respect, planning events and working with grant recipients. She also volunteers with NJ Seeds as a tutor and college application mentor. She helped to coordinate FilmBoot24, a 24 hour film making event at Drew. This summer, she interns with Arts by the People. Her Senior Civic project will be an Art Walk, connecting local artists to Madison community.

Imelda Reimer started her first year at Drew as a Civic Scholar by volunteering more than 200 hours, through the Borough of Madison, Morristown NABE, and the  Alternative Spring Break to Kentucky. She interned her sophomore year with Street Smarts, an outreach program for at risk youth in Morristown. She is the VP of the Drew Honduras Project and participated in the Alternative Spring Break to Puerto Rico for hurricane relief efforts. At Drew, she is a RA, tour guide, Student Philanthropy Ambassador, Orientation Committee member and a rugby player.

Hayat Abdelal

Teach For America, High School history in NJ

Hayat took on multiple leadership positions at Drew, from President of the Muslim Students Association to Attorney General of Student Government to a variety of positions with Drew’s Admissions office. She took advantage of the Civic Scholars program to develop her skills in working with youth through her faith community, while exploring her interest in education as a career. Hayat graduated with both Civic and Baldwin Honors. She was appointed as one of only two students to the President’s Strategic Planning Committee. Her senior Civic Scholar project, “Youth Program Reform,” focused on transformative changes to the leadership and governance of a youth group for girls at her mosque.

Joseph Afanador

Founder of Foot Soldier Barbering, a non-profit start up providing barbering services for the homeless in Newark, NYC, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

As a Civic Scholar and Philosophy major, with minors in Business and Spanish, Joe tackled the issue of homelessness with a passion of his own: barbering. As part of his Senior Civic Scholar project, he created a program called Foot Soldier Barbering to offer free haircuts to those who shelter in area train stations. This led to connections with other individuals, universities and community groups to provide clothes, coats, food, entertainment, and human connection.  After graduation, he founded a non-profit to continue to serve homeless populations and to raise awareness about a community that is not often talked about, but always seen.

Will Andrews

Rutgers University, Masters in Social Work program

Will took full advantage of the many opportunities in the Civic Scholar program for community based learning and hands-on leadership training. For his sophomore year internship, he worked at an adult day center, collaborating with staff and clients to ensure a stimulating and safe environment for all. During an internship in his junior year with the Mental Health Association of New Jersey, he wrote a paper exploring the stigma associated with mental illness and how to overcome this problem in our society. Will then enrolled in a Community-Based Learning class in Urban Sociology that enabled him to learn about and work on solutions to the challenges faced by poor, mostly minority, residents of urban communities. In his senior year, he took Leadership in Practice, taught by Professor Amy Koritz. In his own words, this class “really taught me what it takes to design and implement projects, as well as be a composed and thoughtful leader.”

Olivia Blondheim

University of South Florida, PhD in Integrative Biology program and USF Presidential Fellow

During Olivia’s time at Drew, she won multiple prestigious awards and scholarships which set her on the path to earning her PhD in marine biology. As a Civic Scholar, she focused on pairing her career interests with community engagement. She volunteered as an exhibit guide at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland where she promoted ocean conservation to visitors from around the world, allowing her to better understand her responsibility as a scientist in creating a more environmentally literate society. Olivia was selected to conduct research with a team of marine biologists at the University of Oregon the summer of her sophomore year, and has not looked back. Olivia’s goal is to use her research to help engage local communities to better protect their water resources. She graduated with both Civic and Baldwin honors.

Rachel Fulreader

Emergency Medical Technician in Lowell and Haverhill, MA; applying to Physician Assistant schools and the Peace Corps

Rachel focused her studies and experiences at Drew on her interest in healthcare. She studied the spiritual aspects of community healthcare during a ShortTREC to South Africa for medical anthropology. In her sophomore internship at the International Rescue Committee, she worked with refugees on mandatory health assessments, providing translation and advocacy services. Her Senior Civic Project, entitled “Many Hands to Help: Staffing and Quality of Care in Nursing Homes,” offered guidance to local community members on how to choose the best nursing home for a loved one. She is currently an EMT in her hometown and being considered for a position as a HIV / AIDS coordinator in South Africa with the Peace Corps.

Jillian Griffith

Analyst at American Power Ventures, LLC.

Jillian’s tenure at Drew as a Civic Scholar was spent honing her leadership skills and developing her impressive portfolio. She majored in Economics with minors in Environmental Science & Sustainability and Applied Leadership. She was the president of the Drew Economic and Business Society and helped to develop the Speed Networking Program. While at Drew, she also worked at Morgan Stanley and RBC Wealth Management. For her Senior Civic Project, Jillian worked on developing a corporate social responsibility strategy for the company that became your employer after graduation. She is currently an analyst at American Power Ventures, a power and infrastructure development company, where she focuses on corporate social responsibility.

Leah Nadel

University of Houston Law Center, dual degree program in Law and Public health

As a Civic Scholar, a leader in Jewish life on campus, and a dedicated fellow of Drew’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Conflict (CRCC), Leah set an example of how to use religion as a force to combat bigotry and to unite people from different backgrounds. A few examples of Leah’s interfaith service work include helping coordinate the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom’s annual conference at Drew, tutoring Syrian refugees, organizing an introduction to interfaith dialogue for college students with other civic scholars as her first-year civic project, and creating religious tolerance dialogue skits for use in various interfaith groups through her sophomore civic internship with the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Her Senior Civic Project focused on raising funds and awareness about bone health through a Skeleton Run.  As a future health care attorney, Leah wants to use faith as a transformative tool in end-of-life care. Leah graduated with Phi Beta Kappa, Civic, and Baldwin Honors.

Kendra Polk

Donation Support Coordinator at Eversight, a non-profit eye donation center in Ann Arbor Michigan

Kendra connected her passion for medicine with her drive to help others in the Civic Scholars program at Drew. As president of the Drew Health Organization, she developed blood drives and service programs. She also led the annual service program to the Dominican Republic, serving as chief fundraiser and student mentor. She completed two internships at Overlook and Morristown Memorial Hospitals. For her Senior Civic Scholar project, she developed a series of workshops entitled “You Are What You Eat” for children in the Morristown Neighborhood House after school program. The range of experience gained through her civic work helped her land her first job in healthcare in organ donation management.

Jared Sutton

NJ State Senate Minority Staff under Senator Kean

While at Drew, Jared interned with six organizations and was a two-term President of Drew’s Student Government. He helped create the Race Forum on campus, a University wide discussion on diversity and inclusion. For his Senior Civic project, he created the Drew University Leadership Institute, a first year residential community where students will develop and apply leadership skills through involvement across and beyond the campus community. He is now a Research Associate for the NJ State Senate Republican Office focusing on higher education, military and veteran’s affairs, and community and urban development committees. Jared graduated with both Civic and Baldwin honors.