“A critical examination of the various dimensions of poverty remains a pressing issue for our time. Moreover, such a focus is consistent with our values and mission,” says Lauren Bowen, provost at Juniata. “Understanding poverty and seeking to ameliorate its effects is an interdisciplinary inquiry which also suggests that Juniata, given our longstanding commitment to such methods, is especially well suited to support our students in this endeavor. Existing courses as well as new ones to be developed as part of the program will complement the experiential learning opportunities our membership in the group can provide.”
The Shepherd Consortium is a 23-member organization of colleges and universities that helps institutions explore poverty as a social issue by expanding and improving educational opportunities for students on member campuses.
Five Juniata students received internships that began this summer. The recipients are: Jessica Eades ’18, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Kien Le ’18, of Hanoi, Vietnam; Daisie Rodriguez ’18, of Weslaco, Texas; Nicholas Guillermo ’20, of The Bronx, N.Y.; and Mai Hoang ’19, of Hanoi, Vietnam.
In addition to Provost Bowen’s guidance, students participating can partner with Kathleen Biddle, associate professor of education.
“The most exciting thing for me is the actual opportunity to help people who were once like me,” says Guillermo. “Aiding people is one thing, but when you can help people in an area of misfortune that you may have experienced, the reward is so much greater.”
“The most exciting thing for me is the actual opportunity to help people who were once like me.”Nicholas Guillermo ’18, The Bronx, N.Y.
The Shepherd Consortium was founded in 1998 as the Shepherd Poverty Alliance at Washington & Lee University, in Lexington, Va., to prepare students in professional, civic, and political career fields by experiencing a wide range of perspectives, both inside and outside the classroom.
“The Shepherd Consortium welcomes the robust plan for poverty studies that Juniata has proposed for its membership,” says Harlan Beckley, executive director of the consortium and a former professor of religion at Washington & Lee. “We are confident that this initiative will serve the Juniata students superbly as well as the communities in which they work currently and in the future, especially Huntingdon.”
