22 Cornell undergraduates spent their summers contributing to community and economic development with dynamic social sector organizations in Buffalo, NY.
This June marked the tenth summer of the High Road Fellowships, an engaged learning program providing students with hands-on experience through community service, civic participation, urban immersion and applied research.
Students' projects are coordinated through the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG), a community-based think tank with over 250 richly networked partners. This year’s placements are a diverse array of organizations including those focused on civic engagement, social enterprise, poverty alleviation, arts and education, food justice and worker cooperatives.
This university-community partnership has earned the support of Engaged Cornell, making the High Road a real-world co-laboratory for ILR’s new social sector studies working group. For the first time ever the program received support from a corporate sponsor, M & T Bank. The funding is coming from the Human Resources Department of M & T rather than through their foundation because they see it as valuable to attracting young human capital to Buffalo.
Since 2009, 172 students have been awarded fellowships. The program continues to grow and attract more students from across the university and the country. This year’s cohort includes students from the ILR School, Arts & Sciences, Human Ecology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Four are local students from the Buffalo area and another thirteen are from greater New York while the rest come from New Jersey, Ohio, California, and North Carolina.
2018 High Road Fellows:
- Camilla Bacolod `21 ILR, Queens Village, NY, Center for Employment Opportunities
- John Baker `20 ILR, Whitehouse, OH, Partnership for the Public Good
- Hannah Bollinger `19 ILR, Ithaca, NY, WNY Council on Occupational Safety and Health
- Jackson Booth `21 ILR, Fredonia, NY, 43 North
- Emily Bramhall `19 Human Ecology, Bradley Beach, NJ, Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Lorena Flores `21 CALS, Bronx, NY, Buffalo State Community Academic Center
- Richard Gan `20 ILR, Ithaca, NY, Partnership for the Public Good
- Melissa Gao `21 ILR, Jamesville, NY, Young Audiences of WNY
- Tiffany Gibson `20 Arts and Sciences, Raleigh, NC, Restore Our Community Coalition
- Marina Grais `21 ILR, Lindenhurst, NY, Jericho Road Community Health Center
- Elizabeth Kane `20 Human Ecology, Buffalo, NY, Learning Disabilities Association of WNY
- Katy Kaufman `20 Human Ecology, Hunting Valley, OH, Buffalo State CEURE
- Genavieve Koyn `21 ILR, Grand Island, NY, Say Yes Buffalo
- Brian Lloyd `20 ILR, Henrietta, NY, Westminster Economic Development Initiative
- Hannah Lorenc `20 ILR, Jamestown, NY, Western New York Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO
- Gayathri Jai `19 ILR, Poughkeepsie, NY, WNY Women’s Foundation
- Madeline Rutowski `20 ILR, Orchard Park, NY, Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology
- Rrita Osmani `20 ILR, Chappaqua, NY, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County
- Victor Rieman `21 ILR, Ellicottville, NY, WNY Law Center
- Jean Rios `18 Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, 43 North
- Shara Safer `19 Human Ecology, Larchmont, NY, Open Buffalo
- Ashni Verma `21 ILR, Santa Rosa, CA, WNY Environmental Alliance