Melissa Baker-Boosamra

Email 
bakerbme@gvsu.edu

Title 
Associate Director of Student Life - Civic Engagement and Assessment

What does Civic Engagement mean to you?

Civic engagement means working together to co-create the world we want to live in.

What issues are important to you? 

The health of our democracy, racial equity, immigration, environmental issues.

Giavonna Ward

Title

Graduate Assistant for Civic Engagement

Program

College Student Affairs and Leadership, Graduate Student

What does Civic Engagement mean to you?

To me civic engagement means being an active member of your community. For me it includes our democratic duty to be engaged in elections and law making, our community engagement with local small businesses and resources, and being strong allies with our fellow community members.

What issues are important to you?

I’m very passionate about education and the quality of education that is provided to students across different communities and how resources are allocated within education. I’m also very passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, the wage gap, and reform of the criminal justice system. I’ve been very interested recently in learning more about voter suppression and what that has looked like historically and how it affects communities of color.

Grace McMahon

Title 
Lead Civic Engagement Associate 

Major 

Biomedical Sciences

Minor

Chemistry

What does Civic Engagement mean to you?

To me, Civic Engagement means educating yourself and others about issues impacting your community and then taking steps to improve them. It can be demonstrated in a variety of different ways such as voting, protesting or volunteering, but the most important thing is to take action in some form. 

What issues are important to you? 

Gender and racial equality, access to healthcare and mental health care, voting rights, and environmental issues.

Carson McCready

Title

Civic Engagement Associate 

Major

Communications

Minors 

Political Science and Philosophy

What does Civic Engagement mean to you? 

To me, the term "civic engagement" has different levels. Civic engagement can range from simply voting to having important conversations to volunteering to running for office. No matter our level of engagement in your community, it's most important that we participate actively and mindfully. Civic engagement should mean something to us and be something we take pride in, no matter what your political affiliation is. Civic engagement is reading the news, signing petitions, and even attending rallies. It's about showing up and being present. Civic engagement is about truly listening to the voices of others. Civic engagement, to me, is showing that I care about my community and the world. 

What issues are important to you? 

LGBTQIA+ issues, women's issues, POC issues, and socio-economic issues

Emily Goggins

Title 

Civic Engagement Associate 

Major

Supply Chain Management

What does Civic Engagement mean to you? 

To me, civic engagement means actively involving one’s participation in the community and making it our duty to help, engage, and listen to what our community is in need of. 

What issues are important to you? 

Equality of men and women, equality of race/skin color, and engaging the youth (mainly college students) in voting.
 

Sam Jacobs

Title

Campus Elections Engagement Project Fellow

Major 

Public Administration

Minors

Political Science and Criminal Justice

What does Civic Engagement mean to you? 

Civic and democratic engagement to me means the idea of being an involved and active citizen in everyday life. Being able to help people become more civically and democratically engaged is important to me, as it is important for everyone to have the knowledge of the power their voice and vote holds. 

What issues are important to you? 

I am passionate about voting rights, and helping to make sure everyone has equitable opportunities to use their vote and voice!

Kayla Sosa

Title 

Campus Vote Project Fellow

Major

Multimedia Journalism

What does Civic Engagement mean to you? 

Civic Engagement, to me, means doing more than just forming opinions and talking about them. It means putting your words to action. It means actively participating in your community, learning and educating yourself on things you don't understand, and then helping spread that information to others. It means actually voting from the bottom up of the ballot, and not just paying attention to presidential elections. If someone chooses to be civically engaged, it tells me that they truly care about their impact on their community and the broader society and world we all share together. 

What issues are important to you?

Human Rights, Equality, Education, Climate, Global Health, Global Hunger