"The Civic Engagement Certificate Program has been one of my most challenging but incredible experiences at Northwestern. To be able to meet with community leaders in the school and really put what you learn in the classroom into real life has taught me so much about working with communities and really finding mutual assets and needs. It's the perfect integration of action and practice for an experience that stretches you and gives you a real experience working with NGOs to see how to create change in a tangible and strategic way."
— Meixi Ng
"The Civic Engagement Certificate Program was a relevant real-world opportunity to explore communities and organizations outside of the academic world here at Northwestern. I had previously studied abroad and worked on international microfinance, but had no outlets to further pursue it back here until I was able to craft my Capstone Project with a local microfinance organization in Chicago. While there is a good deal of flexibility within the program, Professor Arntson's and Nelson's classes provide valuable structure and feedback as you progress with the project."
— Andie Xin
"During my time with the Civic Engagement Certificate Program, my partner, Brad and I were able to draft a proposal for a Peer Jury Program, raise awareness and support for our program, execute the program, and receive a $4,700 grant to fund the program. Currently the first Peer Jury program in an Evanston Middle School is fully functional. The service learning program was the support system for our program. Paul Arnston’s community consulting class gave us a working knowledge of the type of work we would be doing when we began our independent study. The weekly meetings with Bruce and Paul kept us focused and on task. It’s also great because we can bounce ideas off other students within the Civic Engagement Certificate Program and build connections between the other organizations."
— Jane Wong
"I entered the Civic Engagement Certificate Program because I was looking for a way to get involved in the larger Chicago community, but had no direction through which to do so. The Certificate Program gave me a practical framework in which I was able to explore all the opportunities available in Chicago and a theoretical framework through which to understand what I was doing. Furthermore, through my experience in the program, I have gotten increasingly interested in the world of social work – I now plan to acquire a master's in social work after graduating from Northwestern."— Ehren Dohler
"By collaborating with administrators and teachers at the Illinois Math and Science Academy on building its service learning programming, I was able to pass on what I learned in the Service Learning Certificate Program to generations of Illinois's brightest. ... Getting a chance to assist in a different capacity as a Northwestern student was both exciting and challenging, and the experience helped prepare me for future endeavors."
— Rae Shih