Alysa Handelsman (WCAS06), who was recently awarded a Fulbright grant to study in Ecuador, credits SESP's Service Learning Certificate Program with helping her to research issues.When Handelsman completed the Service Learning Program in 2004, her capstone project encompassed five months of research on organizations offering services to Latinos in the Evanston area. As the end result, she created a directory and made a report to the City.
"The project definitely helped me with everything I've done since in terms of research and thinking about issues to address," she says. "Every time the question comes up of what has helped me, it always comes back to Bruce [Nelson, the director of the program] and Service Learning." During a summer internship in 2004, Handelsman created a similar directory for her home region of eastern Tennessee.
For her Fulbright, Handelsman plans to continue research that she began in Ecuador last summer on how marginalized people use hip hop to talk about their experiences. In addition, as a community organization component, she intends to raise awareness about the music as an art form. "I've always been really interested in social movements," says Handelsman.
SESP's five-quarter Service Learning Certificate Program, which is open to all Northwestern students, helps students develop skills and knowledge about civic engagement as they build a commitment to public service. The program incorporates course work, community service, reflection sessions, seminars, and a capstone project.
The intent of the Fulbright scholarship program, an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is to foster leadership and build understanding between scholars in the United States and other cultures. Last year, approximately 1,140 students were granted Fulbright awards.
The School of Education and Social Policy currently has two Fulbright students. Master's student Nadia Manasfi from Lebanon is studying learning sciences at SESP on a Fulbright scholarship. In addition, graduate student Lisa Price was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in October to teach English in Uruguay.
Last Modified: 8/14/09