FEATURE
Faces of Change
Nazareth鈥檚 wide-ranging experiential learning projects bring benefits to students and the world in which they live.
by Erich Van Dussen
Local resident Jake Miller regularly visits people he鈥檚 befriended on campus and continues to work on campus after completing the LifePrep@Naz program in 2018.
Forming connections with migrant families, young adults with developmental differences, and children navigating mental health challenges. Collaborating to apply new marketing knowledge and spur the success of a nonprofit across the country.
The examples in the stories that follow vary widely, but their shared bottom line couldn鈥檛 be clearer: Every day, Nazareth College students, faculty, and staff are discovering that there鈥檚 no shortage of ways for them to make a difference through community-facing experiential partnerships, in the local region and far beyond. Along the way, these opportunities are creating meaningful, even life-changing impacts 鈥 among the student participants, and among those with whom they engage.
The mutual benefits are an intentional part of the College鈥檚 vision for the work, according to Emily Carpenter, associate vice president for experiential impact, whose work includes Nazareth's Weider Community Engagement office. 鈥淲e want all of our students to have meaningful experiences as a part of their time here, in and out of the classroom,鈥 Carpenter says. 鈥淣o matter what聽the specific situation may require, we know it needs to be done in a way that considers our varied聽academic disciplines while also respecting the goals of communities who are聽interested in partnering with us.鈥
Tapping into these opportunities takes creativity and resolve, and to Jamie Fazio 鈥97, director of Nazareth鈥檚 Center for Spirituality, the commitment clearly echoes that of the Sisters of St. Joseph 鈥 dating all the way back to the College鈥檚 founding, 98 years ago.
鈥淥ur community partners are exactly that: our partners. These are reciprocal relationships,鈥 Fazio says. 鈥淭he Sisters lived in the communities they were serving, and there was an understanding of solidarity with the people around them. These interventions create opportunities for mutual learning 鈥 a deepening of awareness and appreciation for what鈥檚 really happening in the world, and with one another.鈥
Carpenter echoes Fazio鈥檚 appreciation for the importance of the work and its connection to Nazareth鈥檚 history. 鈥淭his legacy is a real and meaningful thing,鈥 she says, 鈥渁nd it's important to keep it alive and well.鈥
Eric Van Dussen is a Rochester, New York, writer.
