This session presents findings, reflections, and recommendations from ongoing evaluation of the Curb Center’s Public Scholars Program, which supports Vanderbilt graduate students to realize arts-based, community-engaged projects. The presenters—the program’s facilitator and a participant—will outline the program’s goals, structure, and theory of change. We will present insights, drawn from evaluation data and firsthand experience, on the program’s effectiveness in preparing graduate students for community-engaged work, including through professional development workshops. Scholars participate in workshops developed collaboratively with faculty, community leaders, and artists on topics including program evaluation, ethical community engagement, job shadowing, and feedback. We propose the Public Scholars Program as a replicable model for equipping graduate students for arts-based community engagement as extracurricular extensions of their research.