2017 High Road Fellows

Buffalo is a promising city to live and work in, and there is certainly a strong culture of community activism I have not so readily encountered in other communities I’ve engaged with.

I found such a smart and passionate group of friends who I am so lucky to have shared time, thoughts, struggles, and dreams with together.

I have my sights set on working in communities as rich as this one, and though they may not always be in Buffalo nor in the public sector nor even in arts or education (though I am very closely attached to every one of those communities), I dearly hope they are all as enriching.

I’ve learned taking the “high road” can be tough, but it’s extremely rewarding.

I really loved how this kind of learning involves a hands on approach that is often not as common in traditional educational institutions.

This summer I have seen the highs and the lows of my city; booming revitalization directly contrasts the neighborhoods left behind, struggling to combat poverty and segregation.

This summer has been instrumental in learning about my interests and how I can turn them into a career.

This summer, I got to see many sides of Buffalo as a city that is growing. On one hand, I got to see the many issues that it still faces, but on the other hand I also got to see and work closely with local movements and efforts fighting for change.

I learned that for all its progress Buffalo has a lot more work to do. On the surface the city is starting to look better, but not everyone reaps those benefits.

I have learned that Buffalo is still a growing city with a lot of untapped resources. Working in Buffalo this summer also convinced me that I’m in the right school, pursuing the right career.

I can’t think of a better way to have spent my summer. I got to learn about my hometown through service work and field trips. I had great mentors at ASI and learned a lot from the other fellows as well.

I learned that Buffalo is a unique city in every sense – it is a vibrant community with polar opposites that are seeking to come together as one under a common agenda of social innovation.

I've learned a lot while being here. I have a better sense of what social justice truly means and how to be a successful advocate for my community.

Created a report based on a survey analyzing of current agency capacity. The report projected potential increase of distribution and identified issues that inhibited the organization’s efforts to increase distribution to those in need in their communities

I would never have truly learned as much in a classroom. So even though grassroots level activism is an unpredictable and sometimes unreliable process, when it does get results, they can be quite beautiful.

I have become stronger, more courageous, and more open-minded on the High Road, and I know that these skills will be useful not only in my future internships but for the rest of my life.

Buffalo is a cool city.  I would be interested in going into this type of work in the future.

This summer indisputably reaffirmed my interest in the domain of health – innumerable lead ordinances and their nuances emboldened in my mind throughout the weeks.

I learned that Buffalo has a lot to offer. It has a unique social sector that I have not been exposed to anywhere else.

Most importantly throughout the High Road I found my own strength.

I was born and raised in Buffalo. I love this place, it’s my home, and I felt like I knew everything about Buffalo. How wrong I was.

I couldn’t have asked for a better summer.