As an international student from Bangladesh, I have taken challenges and shaped them into opportunities to lead, serve, and create inclusive communities. My civic engagement became more impactful as a U.S. Department of State Community College Initiative (CCI) scholar. This allowed me to take on leadership positions and facilitate different events across campus, such as food drives and student mentorship programs at Fox Valley Technical College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Through these experiences, I have learned to act against social issues from the grassroots level.

Embedding civic engagement into academics with service-learning opportunities is important to me. To achieve this, I have initiated projects that bridges the divide between American and international students, involves students in supporting the local food bank, fosters environmental cleanup etc. At the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UWGB), my focus has been on supporting connections between students and the local community. To accomplish this, I have led a campus-wide event called the Festival of Cultures, that brought local artists and performers to showcase their cultures through art and cuisine. Additionally, I created a survey to study the transition experience of international students at UWGB to better understand their needs.

I believe that by engaging in activities that recognize the source of disconnection and inequities, we can create opportunities for diverse voices to be heard and empowered. I hope to use this fellowship to continue to create a more inclusive and collaborative environment that connects people and develop sustainable opportunities for civic change to take place locally and nationally.