Students from Assistant Professor of Government Sharon Rivera's Politics in Russia class hosted adult learners from the Refugee Center for lunch in Dwight Lounge on Nov. 29. The Hamilton students are participants in Project SHINE (Students Helping In the Naturalization of Elders) and the adult learners were natives of the Ukraine, Moldolva and Belarus. Hamilton students participating in the lunch were Alex Hodosy '09, Abdel Abdelghany '10, Cali Garson '09, Akila Bond '09, Jessy Gelber '09, Kate Marek '09 and Stephanie Ryder '09.
SHINE is a national service-learning initiative at colleges and universities in which students work with older immigrants and refugees. Students tutor elders in English and teach the U.S. history and civics needed to pass the citizenship exam. Rivera offers the SHINE as an option to students in her Politics in Russia class. As a requirement for the class the SHINE participants write a paper about what they have learned during their service. The luncheon provided an opportunity for the SHINE students to ask the adult learners questions about their experiences in the U.S. and in their native countries. Hamilton students tutor the adults at the Refugee Center, BOCES and the F.X. Matt Apartments in Utica.
SHINE is a national service-learning initiative at colleges and universities in which students work with older immigrants and refugees. Students tutor elders in English and teach the U.S. history and civics needed to pass the citizenship exam. Rivera offers the SHINE as an option to students in her Politics in Russia class. As a requirement for the class the SHINE participants write a paper about what they have learned during their service. The luncheon provided an opportunity for the SHINE students to ask the adult learners questions about their experiences in the U.S. and in their native countries. Hamilton students tutor the adults at the Refugee Center, BOCES and the F.X. Matt Apartments in Utica.
The SHINE program is operated through the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, which provides opportunities for civic engagement in off-campus projects that improve student understanding of social issues and create positive outcomes for the community.
