Empowering Graduate Students and Exploring Opportunities – JEP’s Graduate Student Initiative
In the demanding world of academia, it’s easy for graduate students to get caught up in the rigors of stringed research and coursework. However, for Jody Liu, a graduate student working at JEP, there was a burning desire to delve deeper into the realm of community engagement and service-learning. Therefore, Jody decided to spearhead a new initiative to better understand the needs and interests of fellow graduate students in this domain. She was inspired and empowered to do so by her position as the Community Service Chair within the Graduate Student Government (GSG) and by past endeavors of similar topics that were led by JEP graduate students and JEP Executive Director Susan Harris.
Recognizing the importance of gaining insights firsthand, Jody initiated a survey in Fall 2023, distributed via the GSG newsletter, to gauge the community engagement landscape among graduate students. The responses painted a multifaceted picture, revealing common challenges such as administrative barriers, limited resources among professors, and varying levels of emphasis on community engagement within graduate-level courses.
This January, Jody took the initiative a step further by organizing a luncheon, inviting respondents to delve deeper into their experiences and insights. The diverse group of attendees hailed from various disciplines, including the School of Cinematic Arts, Material Sciences (Viterbi), Price, Law School, Keck/Public Health, Annenberg, and Rossier. Despite their interdisciplinary backgrounds, they shared a common goal: to explore avenues for meaningful community engagement within their academic journeys.
The current group comprises 8-9 passionate participants, with plans to expand the invitation to more students across USC. Jody’s vision extends beyond campus borders; she aims to understand the national landscape of community engagement initiatives within graduate education. Drawing from her experiences at conferences in 2023, where she and other JEP members initiated connections with like-minded individuals, Jody hopes to collaborate with peers from other universities to conduct a comprehensive study.
Proposing potential solutions, Jody highlights the importance of partial funding to support students in community engagement endeavors, as well as the integration of official programs or courses to provide resources. She identifies certain fields, such as social work and public health, as more conducive to integrating community engagement into the curriculum.
Looking ahead, Jody envisions a vibrant learning community where graduate students can access resources, engage in regular meetings, and interact with guest speakers from the field. She hopes to establish infrastructure to support students interested in community engagement and to pave the way for post-graduate opportunities in this domain.
Through Jody’s leadership and the collaborative efforts of passionate graduate students, JEP’s Graduate Student Initiative is poised to bridge the gap between academia and community engagement, empowering future leaders to make a meaningful impact beyond the confines of the university walls.