Student Program
Engaged Ambassadors
Engaged Ambassadors are passionate about community-engaged learning, and they are excited to share their passion with you. They mentor students pursuing the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership, lead workshops and discussions, coordinate outreach efforts, manage funding opportunities and more.
Outreach and Recruitment Team
This team recruits students into the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership program and raises awareness about the program. The team attends Cornell community events, such as career fairs and Club Fest, and also presents to classes and student organizations. They lead the students orientation — the starting point for the certificate program — and run the Engaged Ambassador Instagram account.
- Alex Foley ’22, Industrial and Labor Relations
- Sokhnadiarra Ndiaye ’24, Interdisciplinary Studies
- Ezinwa (Ezi) Osuoha ’22, Biology and Society
Peer Mentorship Team
Peer mentors help students navigate all aspects of the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership program, especially engaging with students as they critically reflect on their community-engaged learning experiences. The team also hosts Reconnect and Reenergize workshops where students check in and reconnect with the program and other students doing similar community-engaged leadership work. Peer mentors are the “front line” for the program, so reach out to them with questions!
- Isabel Dawson ’23, Information Science, Systems and Technology
- Millena Yohannes ’22, Sociology
Resource Allocation Team
This team manages funding requests for the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership and Serve in Place Fund. They support students as they fill out the applications, review and make decisions about funding requests and guide grantees through critical reflection on their experiences. The team can also help students find sources of funding outside OEI.
- Olayinka Ajayi ’23, Industrial and Labor Relations
- Aisha Conte ’23, Sociology
Capstone Dialogue Team
This team leads students in biweekly dialogues to complete the final stage of the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership. They facilitate discussion about students’ learning and help participants connect their experiences with their future careers. The team leads discussions surrounding community engagement, leading with purpose and using critical reflection beyond Cornell.
- Yasmin Ballew ’23, Industrial and Labor Relations
Workshop Facilitation Team
This team heads the foundational pillar of leadership for the Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership by providing workshops where Cornell students, faculty, staff and community members to learn more about leading with public purpose. Importantly, this team facilitates the leadership retreat workshop, which is the transition for students to enter stage 2 of the program.
- Lassan Bagayoko ’22, Government
- Aaliyah Brown ’23, Government and Anthropology
- Candace Megerssa ’22, Policy Analysis and Management
- Krinal Thakkar ’23, Biology and Society, and Psychology
Student Network Building Team
This team exists to create a network of like-minded Cornellians across colleges and organizations who live the Engaged Cornell ethos. They share resources, knowledge and create a community that shares similar values. The team is also tasked with creating innovative and flexible ways for student organizations to benefit from what OEI and our various programs have to offer.
- Alessandra Cruz ’22, Human Development
- Emily Walton ’22, Biology and Society
Drop-In Office Hours
- Krinal Thakkar ’23: Mondays 10 a.m.–noon. Zoom link to meet with Krinal.
- Alessandra Cruz ’22: Mondays 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Zoom link to meet with Alessandra.
- Alex Foley ’22: Tuesdays 5:30–6:30 p.m. and Thursdays 4:15–5 p.m. Zoom link to meet with Alex.
Questions?
Email engagedleadership@cornell.edu.
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