“Being able to connect with different cultures outside of my own has allowed me to become more comfortable with understanding students of diverse backgrounds.”

Jannet Garcia is a third-year student at Michigan State University studying elementary education and a Community Engagement Scholar through the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL). The Community Engagement Scholars Program pairs Scholars with a community partner organization to continue CCEL’s partnership and complete projects of interest to the organization over the course of an academic year.

“My work as a Scholar has complemented my education because I have been able to work closely with tasks related to my future career,” says Garcia. She has served as a Scholar for the past three years, previously volunteering with the Michigan College Access Network. “Having experience with all age groups helps me to better prepare lessons catered to different age groups.”

This year, Garcia’s engagement as a Scholar placed her with the Refugee Development Center (RDC), a non-profit offering critical services and learning programs for newcomers and their families to flourish as residents and citizens in mid-Michigan. Garcia previously served as a tutor for the RDC’s K-12 programs and worked with their outreach team, and her engagement with the RDC has complemented her studies toward a Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) endorsement. As a Scholar, she assists the RDC’s Student Success Specialist by administering ESOL tests to newcomer students and observing testing for students interested in attending Lansing Community College.

“Working alongside our Student Success Specialist, Jannet is able to connect with our students, discuss their goals, and help track their language progress as they continue to attend programs at the RDC,” says RDC volunteer coordinator Savanna Hamed.

At the RDC, volunteers support learning programs for clients of all ages, including adult ESOL classes, First Steps for ages 0-5, tutoring for K-12 students, digital literacy, sewing, a driving simulator, and more. “Volunteers are an essential component of RDC programs, and they allow us to expand our services to a wider pool of clients,” says Hamed.

By meeting with newcomers on their language-learning journey and connecting her own experience as a native Spanish speaker, Garcia has helped the RDC more consistently support their students as they transition into life in mid-Michigan. “Our mission is to cultivate a welcoming, thriving community that collaborates with refugees and newcomers through education, engagement, and support, which is exactly what Jannet is doing when she is at the Newcomer Center!” says Hamed. “Jannet’s role has expanded capacity within our Student Success team, which means we are able to meet with more students on a regular basis.”

“Through my community-engaged learning, I feel that I have created social change by building connections with the people in the RDC, as well as building an inclusive community that helps them pursue higher education,” says Garcia. “Engaging with the RDC has led me to gain new experiences and connections in a city foreign to me. As an out-of-state student, finding a place to feel like home can be difficult, and through the RDC, I found a community beyond MSU.”