| Community Engaged Students Assistants and Faculty Advisors for Fall 2009
Health Sciences
 Professor Gabriel Garcia serves as a research consultant for the Anchorage United for Youth (AUY). Currently, AUY is conducting a needs assessment and feasibility study for the development of a Community Justice and Family Services Center in the Mountain View community of Anchorage. The Purpose of this Center is to help keep youth who have committed minor offenses out of the justice system through a restorative justice model while solving the root problems that are contributing to their delinquency. He will mentor Joy Britt and Jennifer LaCasse in their community based research activities with this study.
 Joy Britt is pursuing a Masters degree in Public Health Practice and is a returning CESA. She will be assisting Ms. Laura Norton Cruz, a project coordinator for Anchorage United for Youth, in her needs assessment and feasibility study for the development of “Community Justice and Family Services Center” in the Mountain View community of Anchorage. She will work under the mentorship of Dr. Garcia throughout the project. This project will primarily address the youth who have committed minor offences out of the state justice system by creating a community based, restorative justice model within Mountain View. She will help coordinate focus groups with leaders and residents of the community, attend community-engagement meetings, administer surveys, and assist in research and analysis. She is passionate about breaking down all walls of communication and misinterpretation down amongst the different ethnic groups in Anchorage. Through her participation in the CESA Program, she hopes to gain experience and knowledge towards practicing community engagement activities, interviewing, and observing and understanding different communities. Ultimately, she would like to connect all different communities by conducting creative projects, community service, youth programs, and health awareness on a global scale.
 Jennifer LaCasse is a graduate student in the Master of Public Health program and will also be helping with Anchorage United for Youth’s development of a “Community Justice and Family Services Center” in the Mountain View Community. Under the leadership of Ms. Laura Norton-Cruz and the mentorship of Dr. Gabriel Garcia she will help coordinate the program with the goal of rehabilitating delinquents in order to solve the root problems contributing to the negative behavior. She will assist in the research in multiple ways form analyzing and collecting data to finding interpreters in the community. She sees this experience as an opportunity to integrate the knowledge and skills she has learned through her education into a real life community setting. As a CESA she will be challenged to incorporate the diverse ideas and beliefs of the citizens and the community partners into one program that satisfies the desires of the community as a whole, thereby gaining the necessary knowledge to find the unifying elements within any community.
Social Work
 Professor Randy H. Magen is implementing for the first time a community service-learning project into his program evaluation courses (SWK/HS 628). The project is to create a health status report card for the Mat-Su Borough. The project will be conducted in cooperation with the Mat-Su Health Foundation and involve Master's students from the School of Social Work and the Department and Health Sciences.
Jessica McKay is a graduate student in the School of Social Work and will assist Professor Magen in facilitating student research in partnership with the Mat-Su Health Foundation in the Social Work/Health Sciences 628 class. The class will be divided into five groups, each of which will be responsible for different aspects of the project. Jessica will aid Master’s students from the School of Social Work and the Department of Health Sciences in problem solving, project organization, and ensure an educational experience. She hopes to expand her knowledge about community assets and participation through engagement in the community, particularly regarding issues of learning, service, diversity, and cultural competence.
 Sadie Huffer is also a graduate student in the School of Social Work and will assist Professor Magen with the implementation of the service-learning project in his Social Work/Health Science 628 class. She will serve as an intermediary between her classmates and the employees of the Mat-Su Health Foundation. She expects to deepen her knowledge about program evaluation and how the whole process works.
Engineering
 Professor Osama Abaza will mentor Jonathan Knowles in his research and work with public transportation officials and the general public concerning the bus system in Anchorage. The research also involves working with disability support agencies and non-governmental agencies in obtaining their perceptions and ideas of the bus system within the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) Through meeting with public agencies such as the People Mover and the MOA they will form community partnerships possibly lending themselves toward future research opportunities for UAA Engineering students.
 Jonathan Knowles is a graduate student of Civil Engineering and will be working with Professor Abaza. He believes that students obtain a better understanding of their studies when they are provided the opportunity to work with professionals in their chosen field. He will work to establish working relationships with officials at People Mover and other employees of the Municipality of Anchorage so that future partnerships between students and the community may be developed and student research opportunities provided. This project and his involvement with the CESA Program will directly coincide with his thesis work in which he will be preparing a report documenting ideas for People Mover to use in increasing bus ridership in the Anchorage area. Through the CESA program he hopes to gain an understanding of how he can use his contact with public officials to engage students and faculty at UAA in research that will better the community and strengthen UAA and the Anchorage community ties.
Geography
 Professor Dorn Van Dommelen has enriched his sections of GEOG/INTL 101 with a service-learning component in partnership with Heifer International, a non-profit NGO involved in agricultural development projects. In this class, students learn about Heifer International through case studies and through a service-learning project in which they teach others about Heifer International, focusing on one of the case studies they learned about in class. Students frequently volunteer to mentor students in subsequent semesters as service-learning advocates.
The following Assistants all assist Professor Van Dommelen with coordinating the service-learning project in his Geography 101 classes with Heifer International(HI).
 Meneka Thiru will coordinate a section of a class, helping to promote communication between the students. She hopes to prompt the students to reflect on their service-learning experience as well as address problems and find mutual solutions. As a firm supporter of the good HIbrings to the world, she plans to help broaden the public’s view of service through bringing awareness to the organization. She is eager to learn more about the principles behind service-learning so that she can go out into the community and the university and share her knowledge.
 Brigette Stark is a returning advocate that will help the students in her class select appropriate projects to educate the community about HI. It is important for her that the students gain a better understanding of the economical hardships that others face around the world. She hopes to further her skills in communicating with the community on important issues.
 Alex Pfaffe will assist service-learners with their research of HI. He plans to help the students withproblems that may arise with their projects, be a source of information for the campus on the students’ perspective, and help create beneficial projects for all the parties involved. Through the CESA Program he expects to expand his knowledge of community-based projects and develop his leadership skills.
 Catherine Helle intends to advocate for HI and keep the students motivated in bringing knowledge of world hunger to the community. Through facilitating positive discussions with the students she will help them understand the purpose of the program. She is committed to the cause of solving hunger problems and will continue to support HI in a future life of service and politics. She expects to gain fundamental knowledge of helping other people to reach goals involving satiating hunger, resolving social issues, and feeling a greater sense of connection with their community through her participation with the CESA Program.
 Savannah Hamilton has been a CESA for the past two years and is now the “Chief” Advocate for Dr. Van Dommelen. She will coordinate communication with the other Service-Learning Advocates, offer them support, and compile reports regarding their work. She sees her service and support for HI as a form of politics and hopes to aid the students in understanding the deeper meanings behind being a politically-engaged citizen. She expects to learn more about service politics and how, when effectively applied it can uplift communities and overcome barriers as a citizen.
 Marcella Dent is a returning advocate and has been actively involved with HI for the past two years. As an advocate, she will be a liaison between the students and faculty, providing insight and updates on each group’s progress. She helps the students create projects that have meaning to them personally and relate to their areas of study. Her experiences with service-learning and HI have helped her to understand what it means to be a democratically engaged person and she hopes to extend this knowledge to other students. As a founding member of the HI Club, she is deeply committed to the cause.
 Sara Swimeley has been an advocate for the past two semesters and realizes that she has gained a valuable knowledge about the perspectives of the students on community-based learning through her experience. With this knowledge, she intends to assist the students in developing their projects. Through her exposure to the principles behind service-learning, she has enhanced her view of the world and wants to continue learning about the possibilities within this program and how they translate to her life.
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