Raising Awareness

At Roger Williams there are almost endless ways to get involved and make an impact in the university and surrounding community while gaining the experience necessary for the professional world. For example, Kelsey Rogers as a member of the university’s Food Recovery Network used her time at RWU to collect the day’s uneaten food, package it and deliver the edible chow to local homeless shelter. She then used her knowledge to help raise the issue of food recovery within the greater community, as part of her Hassenfeld Student Leadership Fellow project.

With her fellowship, she engaged the public through educational events that celebrated the role of food in the local community, addressed the issue of food waste and collaborated on a plan to reduce the volume of food waste generated in Rhode Island.

“While I had already learned many lessons in leadership from other academic experiences, there is plenty more to learn before transitioning to the workforce," she says. The fellowship and experience was just what she needed to help her make the transition from volunteering to being a change maker and increasing her impact, she says.