Two Southern Miss Students to Graduate with Citizen Scholar Distinction
Thu, 12/05/2024 - 02:55pm | By: Christy Kayser
Anders Estorge
The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Center for Community Engagement (CCE) has named two graduating seniors–Anders Estorge and Lora Rester–as recipients of the USM Citizen Scholar distinction via the Citizen Scholars program, a recognition for students demonstrating significant involvement in community engagement.
The Citizen Scholars program incorporates service and community engagement into their academic experience. Students who earn 100-plus service hours, participate in a community-engaged learning experience, and complete a reflective exit interview are eligible to be recognized as Citizen Scholars.
Students in the program may volunteer with a variety of community-based organizations to earn service hours. They may also choose from several options to satisfy the community-engaged learning requirement, such as interning with a nonprofit organization, enrolling in two service-learning classes, or implementing a leadership project benefiting the community.
“The Citizen Scholars program recognizes students who show a deep commitment to service and have spent significant time engaging with the community throughout their academic studies,” said Christy Kayser, CCE director. “These opportunities allow students to gain a better understanding of how their unique skills and chosen profession can positively impact the communities in which they will soon be working and living.”
Lora Rester
Estorge, a Public Health Administration and Policy major with a minor in Communication Studies from Madison, Miss., completed 301 service hours through volunteer work with organizations including Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center; Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi; Christian Services, Inc.; several faith-based organizations; and as a notetaker for USM Student Accessibility Services. Estorge’s community-engaged learning experience was a non-profit internship with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), where she helped develop a survey to assess how effectively MSDH communicates urgent healthcare information with healthcare professionals.
Rester, a Child and Family Sciences (Child Development) major from Hattiesburg, Miss., completed 168 service hours through volunteer work with several faith-based organizations, daycare centers and the USM Center for Child Development. Rester’s community-engaged learning experience was a community-based practicum in which she learned about family life education.
The CCE promotes service and service-learning on the Southern Miss campus and throughout the Hattiesburg area. For more information about the Citizen Scholars program, contact%20Kayser at 601.266.6467. Click here to learn more about the Southern Miss CCE.