Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it would only be fitting to spend the holiday of love thinking about all of the reasons we love the Citizen Scholar program. The list could go on and on, but we’ve wrapped it up into ten reasons why the Citizen Scholar program is great.
- We’re a program with a BIG impact, with service at our core.
- Students are required to complete volunteer hours as members of Citizen Scholars, and that requirement is always eagerly fulfilled. Students and faculty have found organizations they love in the Greater Lansing area and used the skills we’ve culminated to give back to others. Discover one example of a CS service project here.
- Students get individualized attention from upperclassmen and faculty.
- Not only do all students have access to another advisor beyond their major advisor, but first-year students participate in the Peer to Peer Mentor program, where they are paired with an older Citizen Scholar member for any guidance and support they need to smoothly transition into college life.
- We have AMAZING faculty.
- The people behind the program are what really make it. Even as program director, Dr. Stacia Moroski-Rigney forms a relationship with each student and is always working to improve the program. Advisor LaDonna Croffe makes every student feel heard and appreciated and is sure to make you smile every time you see her. Leonora Paula, head of the Peer to Peer program, is engaging and thoughtful, coordinating the P2P program. And all of our interns are always eager to speak to new students and take on any project. Learn more about our administration here.
- Students are excited to be in the program.
- Because students make the choice to become a Citizen Scholar, it means they are passionate about our values of developing a greater global understanding and seeking justice. This means students are wanting to attend events, participate in discussions, and contribute to the program.
- Being a Citizen Scholar means being in a tight-knit community.
- From first-year students entering AL 491 as a full cohort to P2P Mentors and a growing alumni and community network, Citizen Scholars emphasizes building relationships. Our students have helped each other get jobs and internships, worked together on projects within and outside of the program, lived together, and gone on to work with community partners. For more on why this community is so important, read here.
- Citizen Scholars is open to ALL first-year students with a major in the College of Arts and Letters.
- We know some students faced different challenges in high school and may have had less opportunities based on factors outside of their control. As a program that emphasizes inclusion, any CAL student who wants to challenge themself can become a Citizen Scholar. It is important to us that anyone who wants access to our program can be a part of it.
- Our program opens doors for students.
- When students show their commitment to the program and put in the work to succeed, we believe in rewarding them and giving them the tools to go further. That’s why we provide a scholarship to every student to go toward an experiential learning opportunity, whether that’s a study abroad, an internship, or a service project.
- Our learning goes beyond the classroom.
- Even after students finish their course requirement for CS by taking AL 491, they can still continue learning with the rest of their CS cohort. Our weekly newsletter provides students with ways to be more involved at MSU and highlights interesting events, seminars, and discussions hosted throughout the college and within Citizen Scholars.
- Students get to show off their hard work.
- Every year, students are encouraged to present all of the wonderful work they do at CAL’s annual Student Showcase. Many of our students not only do projects within the program, but also take part in research or art projects throughout MSU. Students present their work to fellow scholars, friends, family, faculty, and community members.
- We’ve got big things coming! We don’t settle at “good enough.”
- By the end of the semester, the officially redesigned Citizen Scholars program will be announced. Formulated on student and faculty feedback and research, the program is being revamped to bring students an even better experience. All of the things we love that we’ve described above are here to stay, but we’re working on adding even more opportunities to the program so that students get everything they want from it.