Programs: Haverford House - Fellows
Meg Bishop '12
Major: Psychology
Home Town: New York, New York
Placement: This year I will have the opportunity to work at Community Partnership School (CPS), an independent elementary school serving low-income families from North Philadelphia. As the Enrollment and Placement Associate, my primary responsibilities will include supporting CPS alumni and their families as they transition into middle school, coordinating mentorship programs for both students and their caregivers, and maintaining strong relationships between alumni middle schools, students, and their families.
Haverford House Project: I’d like to help develop a volunteer program for current Haverford students at the Mazzoni Center, the single healthcare provider in Philadelphia that is specifically focused on the unique needs of the LGBT community.
Emily Dix '12
Major: Psychology
Concentration: Peace, Justice, and Human Rights
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Placement: I’ll be working as a Development Specialist at Community Partnership School (CPS), an independent elementary school that serves low-income students in north Philadelphia. My job is to keep a pulse on everything going on in the school so that I can update the website with stories about current happenings at the school and send out a quarterly newsletter. I’ll also be coordinating the volunteer program and assisting with other development office projects related to building up the school’s web presence, grant writing, and fundraising.
Haverford House Project: While at Haverford, I had the opportunity to take a CPGC-sponsored course taught in a jail, in which Haverford students and incarcerated men together explored the philosophy of restorative justice. As my Haverford House project, I hope to build on the work of a past fellow, Emily Bock, to get current Haverford students involved in the Restorative Justice Project at Graterford Prison. Students can contribute to this project by offering grant-writing support and helping the men access outside resources on restorative justice, and in the process they will learn more about this approach to conflict resolution and issues related to the criminal justice system and incarceration.
Molly Minden '12
Major: Political Science
Concentration: Spanish
Home town: Madison, Wisconsin
Placement: I’ll be working as a paralegal in the Employment Unit of Community Legal Services. I’ll work with people who have criminal records to try to help them work through the challenges against finding stable employment.
Haverford House Project: My Haverford House project will be a public testimonial project rooted in what motivates and sustains political and social action.
Peter Sacci '12
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Spanish
Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland
Placement: I will be working as a public health research fellow at Lankenau Hospital. My fellowship is multifaceted, and I will be splitting time between clinical and public health research, as well as teaching nutrition in four Philadelphia public high schools. I will also have the opportunity to work with other health-related non-profit organizations in Philadelphia and Camden.
Haverford House Project: I envision a series of seminars where healthcare professionals and social workers from Philadelphia come to campus to speak with a group of students, faculty, and staff members. This group of Haverford community members would learn about some of Philadelphia’s public health concerns through a series of workshops. These members would then bring their enthusiasm and newfound knowledge to Philadelphia, where they would lead workshops, after-school programs, or small community fairs to educate and interact with communities.
Beatriz Sanchez '12
Major: Anthropology
Concentration: Latin American and Iberian Studies
Home Town: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Placement: I will be working as a community-based research fellow at the Center for Hunger-Free Communities, which is part of Drexel University’s School of Public Health. First, I will spend some time conducting interviews with caregivers of young children as part of the Children’s Health Watch Project. I will also work to expand the Witnesses to Hunger program to Camden. This program facilitates participation of mothers who know poverty first-hand in the national dialogue on hunger. Finally, I will assist in the organization of events and other efforts to expand the Center’s public health programs and initiatives.
Haverford House Project: I hope to implement a digital story project that utilizes the College’s technological resources to link the Haverford and Philadelphia communities. A digital story is a short, first person video-narrative that combines recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds. The stories can be based on Philadelphia residents’ life experiences or students’ experience while volunteering. This project has the power to raise awareness of a particular issue and be a reflexive exercise for the narrator.
Elizabeth Wingfield '12
Major: Philosophy
Home town: Middleburgh, New York
Placement: I will be working at Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA), an organization whose mission is to provide “high quality, creative legal services, advice and referrals for eligible low income people.” I will be a paralegal in their family law unit, helping my clients navigate the Philadelphia legal system by giving information and advice.
Haverford House Project: For my project, I want to make Haverford students more aware of the issues the homeless face in Philadelphia by getting them in discussion with advocates, policy makers, and the homeless themselves. This will likely take the form of partnering with classes studying the issue of homelessness, but I hope that elements of my project will be made available to the wider Haverford community as well.