By Jacquelyn Letizia Staff Writer
In early February, Susquehanna received a $7.1 million grant to start a new, four-year service program for students called the Susquehanna Student Leaders Program.
The program, funded by an anonymous longtime friend of Susquehanna, will begin with the incoming class of 2021.
Each class will have ten students accepted into the program, with each student receiving a $5,000 scholarship for their service.
The gift will cover the hiring of a program manager and fund scholarships for the first six classes of students.
Each student will be paired with an organization that works with youth development in the Susquehanna Valley.
These organizations can range in focus, including the topics of education, nutrition, arts and culture, health care and employment.
In the first year, the program will start with three or four community partnerships, with the hope that it will increase each year.
The students will be responsible for completing between eight and 10 hours of community service each week for their respective organization.
As their involvement in the organization progresses over their four years at Susquehanna, their role will evolve. Students will start with more of a basic volunteer position and will advance into leadership positions.
They also will serve as a touch point for other students on campus getting involved in the organization.
Michaeline Shuman, the assistant provost of post-graduate outcomes and director of the Career Development Center, said that this program connects to Susquehanna’s roots in service.
One of the founding ideas of the school is to educate and serve the community around campus, which is what this new program aims to do, according to Shuman.
Shuman also said that this program will be building off the relationships with community partners that the Johnson Center for Civic Engagement has already built, but it will also work with the Career Development Center to create an intentional engagement and leadership experience that students will participate in all four years of their time here, including over the summer after their first year.
Junior Gabriela Marrero is a service scholar in the Johnson Center for Civic Engagement and specializes in working with community partners.
Marrero said, “The bond between the student and the community organization has the potential of strengthening Susquehanna’s pillar of service.”
She also said that the program will not only benefit the community partners but also the students as well.
“The kindness and the selflessness that our community partners offer inspires me daily, and it is always a pleasure getting to know the partners personally,” she said.
Marrero added, “I sincerely hope that the Service Leaders Program students are exposed to the genuine benevolence that I have experienced from our community partners.”
Marrero also explained how community service involvement can ease the transition into college life and the Susquehanna community.
“Through the JCCE, I not only met faculty, staff and students from Susquehanna with a passion for service, I also met some of our community partners,” Marrero said.
She added, “As soon as they get to know people from their organizations, there will always be people looking out for them. My sincere hope is that the SLP students understand how much of a difference they are making for the community, the community partners and for Susquehanna.”
For more information on this service program, students can visit mySU.
Students can also visit the Susquehanna website for a list of frequently asked questions and answers.
