Community Bridges marks third year in Fifth Ward

By Dixita Viswanath     9/5/13 7:00pm

The Community Bridges Service Learning Program, under the Kinder Institute, is entering its third year since its conception and is expanding to include 40 students with nine nonprofit partner organizations from 20 students and six partners, according to program coordinator Mari Figueroa (Will Rice '12). 

In the past, the program sent students into Houston's Fifth Ward, which while culturally rich is economically poor, Figueroa said. Students work in a service project through nonprofit organizations in order to improve the Fifth Ward in some meaningful way. 

Accordingh to Figueroa, the fellowship has two components. During the fall semester, students complete the one-credit SOCI 469: Community Bridges Training, which teaches students about the theory behind current urban complications, and the four-credit SOCI 470: Inequality and Urban Life, which combines students' real-world applications with theory. In the spring, students work in their assigned nonprofit organization for five to seven hours per week.

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Figueroa said both courses will be taught by visiting professor of sociology Robin Paige, who came this year from California in order to coordinate this fellowship. According to Figueroa, Paige previously coordinated a similar program with over 300 students and hopes to accomplish the same here at Rice.

According to Paige, the fellowship program is accepting applications from sophomores, juniors and seniors from any majors.

"We're looking for students who have the ability to go into new experiences with an open mind and solve problems creatively," Paige said.

Figueroa said she got involved last year as a participant in the fellowship and is giving back to the program this year by coordinating. 

"Every person can make a difference," Figueroa said. "It is important to take that first step and start the ball rolling."

Will Rice College junior Heidi Kahle, who participated in the program last year, said she believes it has changed her life. 

"For my final project, I set up a huge board in the center of Fifth Ward and wrote 'I wish the Fifth Ward was ...' on it," Kahle said. "By the second day, I [received] over 200 comments about how to improve Fifth Ward. Hopefully, [in the future] people will use these comments in order to better improve the community."

Applications for the fellowship are avaliable begining Sept. 16 and can be found at kinder.rice.edu/bridges.

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