Civic Scholars Program at Rutgers-Camden Debuts, Connects Students with Service, Learning, and Scholarships

For Immediate Release

CAMDEN --  Thanks to a new program at Rutgers–Camden, undergraduate students are enjoying the unique opportunity to serve their communities, apply classroom learning to real-world settings, and earn scholarship support – all at the same time.

Launched this fall, the Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars Program provides 10 students with a $1,000 scholarship for the 2011-12 academic year.  The students work closely with Rutgers faculty mentors to create and implement projects that deliver meaningful services to New Jersey citizens.  The students also engage in internships, special civic engagement events, and a three-credit course on social change.

The first class of Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars consists of 10 first-year Honors College students who have identified themselves as committed to effecting social change.  The Civic Scholars have served their communities around issues of poverty; access to health care; the environment; wildlife rescue; literacy and art awareness; drug and alcohol awareness; veterans; children with disabilities; and human trafficking.

Participants in the Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars program, which was established in partnership with the Bonner Foundation, include:

AUDUBON:     Patrick Tiedeken, 19, is a management major at Rutgers–Camden, where he works with the Neighborhood Center and the DCCB through the Civic Scholars program. “I have always been interested in community service. To help better a city with potential such as Camden is a great opportunity. I am also gaining valuable experience that I will take to the work place upon graduation,” he explains.  “I have acquired skills in grant writing and asset mapping that look great on a resume. Most of all, I am constantly learning about the importance of commitment and work ethic in this program.”  A 2011 of Audubon High School, he is the son of Robin Tiedeken of Cherry Hill and Mike Tiedeken of Haddon Township.

CHERRY HILL:     Katherine Nguyen, 18, is a nursing major at Rutgers–Camden and a 2011 graduate of Paul VI High School, where she was a National Honor Society student and a participant in the 2010-11 UMDNJ Medical Science Academy and the 2009 LeadAmerica National Leadership Summit in Washington.  “As a Scholar, I have the chance to come up with initiatives and collaborate with local leaders to create sustainable social change and improvement,” she explains.  “My primary service site is Project HOPE, which is a health clinic at the Bergen Lanning Health Center in Camden that provides healthcare to the homeless.  By working with Project HOPE, I will get to work in a community clinic which will greatly prepare me for my desired career as a public health nurse. With the large flow of patients that come to the clinic, I will learn and build on necessary skills such as working efficiently under pressure, interacting with patients, making accurate and thorough patient assessments, and developing an open and non-judgmental mindset.”  She is the daughter of Kimoanh Do of Cherry Hill.

GIBBSBORO:     Brooke Lewis, 18, is a political science major at Rutgers–Camden where, as a Civic Scholar, she works with the Friends of Northgate Park and the DCCB.  “I am so grateful that Civic Scholars has given me the opportunity to work with knowledgeable people and gain experience working on powerful legislative issues,” explains the 2011 graduate of Eastern Regional High School.

HADDON TOWNSHIP:     Russell Tichian, 18, is a management major at Rutgers–Camden and a 2011 graduate of Haddon Township High School, where he earned such honors as the Leadership Award and the first-place Law Day Essay.  As a Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholar, he surveys abandoned and vacant lots and helped to set up a Hungerstock concert for the Food Bank of South Jersey.  He is the son of Cassandra and Richard Tichian of Haddon Township.

ISELIN:     Shaili Patel, 18, is a biology major at Rutgers–Camden, where she embraces her role as a Civic Scholar.  “I am introduced to several opportunities to help change people’s lives. Being a part of the Civic Scholars, we have the chance to become social entrepreneurs, in which we can identify a problem the community is facing and collectively come up with possible solutions. In other words, we are allowed to take lead in helping to fix the problems,” she explains.  “My life goal is to become a pediatrician, and through this program I am able to build my communication skills with others, especially children.” Her work as a Civic Scholar has included CamConnect, Dooley House, and the Hopeworks CRIB. A 2011 graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, she is the daughter of Iselin residents Amita and Kamlesh Patel.  

MARLTON:     Angelica Shaw, 19, is a psychology major at Rutgers–Camden.  Through her efforts at the Neighborhood Center, she helps to serve lunches and to develop ideas for new grants to sustain the center.  “The more I can help with promoting a healthy lifestyle and community, the more I feel I can accomplish in my lifetime,” says the 2011 graduate of Cherokee High School.

MOUNT LAUREL:     Hannah Blau-Burns, 18, majors in management and marketing at Rutgers–Camden, where her work with the Civic Scholars program has engaged her with BookMates, a childhood literacy initiative.  She is a 2011 graduate of Lenape Regional High School, where she won a Peoples’ Choice Award.

VOORHEES:     Amy Mallon, 18, is a marketing major at Rutgers–Camden.  In her role as a Civic Scholar, she is “most involved in a soup kitchen called the Neighborhood Center, where we help plate food, hand out tickets, and do anything else that is needed,” she explains, noting her additional involvement with CamConnect, where she helps to map the locations of abandoned buildings, and an after-school program at Urban Promise.  “In my life, I hope to run, coordinate or work with a non-profit. At Rutgers–Camden, I am doing now what I want to do for the rest of my life.”  She is a 2011 graduate of Eastern Regional High School, where she is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and a DECA semi-finalist.

CHELTENHAM, Pa.:     Angelyce Purnell, 18, majors in theater and Spanish at Rutgers–Camden where, as a Civic Scholar, she “loves knowing I’m becoming a part of this community.  I’m forming positive relationships with institutions in Camden such as the Neighborhood Center and Dooley House.  In the future, I hope to be a translator and through this program I've been able to communicate with people in Spanish in order to inform them about upcoming community events.”  A 2011 graduate of Cheltenham High School, she is the daughter of Emanda and Joseph Purnell, both of Philadelphia.

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