Speakers

Image of LEAP 2024: Investing in Community - Abstracts

LEAP 2024: Investing in Community - Abstracts

Panel 52: Investing in Community

What is community today? In a world that has become increasingly overwhelming, we often feel disconnected and crave human connection. How can we improve our present relationships and ensure the prosperity of future communities? In this panel presentation, we will explore our summer experiences and how we each worked to rediscover the power of community. Through research, education, outreach, and marketing in various fields, our work demonstrates the power of individuals coming together to shape the world they want to live in. Whether you tap into this power through teaching kids how to take care of the environment and feed themselves, creating programs to help support queer and trans youth feel accepted by their families, conducting research to help inform families and elderly people on legal topics relevant to them, or learning how to support transracially adopted youth, there are limitless ways to invest in your communities.

Moderator: Ximena Abello Hurtado, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Critical Race and Political Economy

Helping Others Feel Valued: Youth Outreach Programs and Donner Appreciation in Nonprofits
Kate Seery ’25, Politics & Gender Studies double major

Impact of Hair Care on Well-Being of Transracially Adopted African American Youth: A Literature Review
Tani Ensign Rivera ’26, Psychology major & Critical Race Political Economy minor

Garden Education: Empowering Little Hand
Luca Gorman ’26, Biology major & Educational Policy and Practice Nexus

Investing through Law
Hannah Heierhoff ’25, Mathematics & French double major

Speaker name: Luca Gorman
Title: Garden Education: Empowering Little Hands
From the moment we are born, someone else is in charge of our lives and making all of our decisions for us. During our time as infants this makes sense, but what about when we’re older? This summer I taught kids ranging in ages from 4-16 about the importance of growing your own food and being a steward. We discussed the autonomy it provides over our meals and what we choose to put in our bodies, the connection it fosters between youth and the earth, the amount of waste it reduces, and much more. I learned how to teach accessible lessons on plant biology, agricultural practices and traditions, and cooking skills. I tried new teaching methods, new farming methods, and became more comfortable in my role as an educator. Most importantly, I learned how badly kids need to feel a sense of control over their own daily lives.

Speaker name: Kate Seery
Title: Helping Others Feel Valued: Youth Outreach Programs and Donner Appreciation in Nonprofits
How can nonprofit organizations serve their communities, operate ethically, and sustain themselves over time? This presentation focuses on this question through a reflection of my experience as an operations intern. Over the summer I worked at Translate Gender a small, consensus run, trans led, nonprofit organization that works to support trans and gender expansive youth and their families. My work included creating youth programs, creating donor retention policies, and building an online social media presence. These projects highlight how meaningful it is to create spaces for youth and families to feel safe and supported in their communities. In addition, it is also important that people who donate to these programs feel valued, and know that what they are doing is making a difference in people’s lives. This presentation will demonstrate the ways that these aspects of nonprofit work are interrelated and how they are crucial for the longevity of nonprofit organization.

Speaker name: Hannah Heierhoff
Title: Investing through Law
This summer I was an intern at a law firm in England. Through my varied responsibilities, I was able to gain insight into the workings of a law firm, compile data and conduct research on legal topics. Since the firm I worked at was local and quite small, I was able to see first-hand how my work impacted those in the area. I was able to develop my communication and organisation as well many other skills that will be useful to me in my future legal career. Join our panel presentation and explore how you can invest in community through law and as a legal intern with me!

Speaker name: Tani Ensign Rivera
Title: Impact of Hair Care on Well-Being of Transracially Adopted African American Youth: A Literature Review
I conducted a literature review to investigate whether there has been any documented research regarding the impact of hair care on measures of well-being for transracially adopted African American or Black youth. My goal in conducting this research was to provide a foundation that describes the context of hair care within a larger society that is based on and infused with institutional racism. This literature review collected relevant information regarding how transracial adoption affects the racial/ethnic identities of African American children; how white caregivers can help improve the well-being of African American children in their care; and a lens through which to view the impact of transracial adoption on African American youth. The information gathered in this literature review demonstrates the importance of culturally competent hair care for African American or Black children and adolescents who have white caregivers through foster care or adoption.