Two Southern Miss Students to Graduate with Citizen Scholar Distinction
Thu, 12/05/2024 - 02:55pm | By: Christy Kayser
Anders Estorge
果冻传媒麻豆社鈥檚 (USM) Center for Community Engagement (CCE) has named two graduating seniors鈥揂nders Estorge and Lora Rester鈥揳s recipients of the USM Citizen Scholar distinction via the鈥�Citizen Scholars program, a recognition for students demonstrating significant involvement in community engagement.
The Citizen Scholars program incorporates service and community engagement into their academic experience. Students who earn 100-plus service hours, participate in鈥痑 community-engaged learning experience, and complete a reflective exit interview are eligible to be recognized as Citizen Scholars.
Students in the program may volunteer with a variety of community-based organizations to earn service hours. They may also choose from several options to satisfy the community-engaged learning requirement, such as interning with a nonprofit organization, enrolling in two service-learning classes, or implementing a leadership project benefiting the community.
鈥淭he Citizen Scholars program鈥痳ecognizes students who show a deep commitment to service and have spent significant time engaging with the community throughout their academic studies,鈥� said Christy Kayser, CCE director. 鈥淭hese opportunities allow students to gain a better understanding of how their unique skills and chosen profession can positively impact the communities in which they will soon be working and living.鈥�
Lora Rester
Estorge, a Public Health Administration and Policy major with a minor in Communication Studies from Madison, Miss., completed 301 service hours through volunteer work with organizations including Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center; Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi; Christian Services, Inc.; several faith-based organizations; and as a notetaker for USM Student Accessibility Services. Estorge鈥檚 community-engaged learning experience was a non-profit internship with the Mississippi State Department of Health (果冻传媒麻豆社DH), where she helped develop a survey to assess how effectively 果冻传媒麻豆社DH communicates urgent healthcare information with healthcare professionals.
Rester, a Child and Family Sciences (Child Development) major from Hattiesburg, Miss., completed 168 service hours through volunteer work with several faith-based organizations, daycare centers and the USM Center for Child Development. Rester鈥檚 community-engaged learning experience was a community-based practicum in which she learned about family life education.
The CCE promotes service and service-learning on the Southern Miss campus and throughout the Hattiesburg area. For more information about the Citizen Scholars program, contact%20Kayser at 601.266.6467. Click here to learn more about the Southern Miss CCE.