Alina Michelewicz, of Nelson, 'paving the way' as one of Clark University's inaugural LEEP Project Pioneers

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Alina Michelewicz is a Clark University LEEP Project Pioneer

WORCESTER, MA (01/10/2013)(readMedia)-- Alina P. Michelewicz, of Nelson, N.H., is one of 46 Clark University students selected to serve as a LEEP Project Pioneer-the first class of students conducting projects under LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice), Clark's model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences.

The LEEP Pioneers have been working closely with faculty mentors as well as Clark alumni and organizational partners on projects of shared interest or leading-edge research and analysis. The projects, some of which started this summer, and others which will commence during the 2012-2013 academic year, allow the students to creatively address actual problems and apply their knowledge in authentic workplace settings before they graduate. The LEEP Projects span the full breadth of academic studies, from arts/humanities to natural and social sciences.

"Clark's LEEP Project Pioneers initiative is the inaugural run for an exciting new feature of our undergraduate curriculum. LEEP Projects provide opportunities for students to blend academic learning with professional development," said Colin Polsky, associate dean for undergraduate research and active pedagogy and associate professor of geography. "LEEP Projects not only allow Clark students to dive deep into a topic about which they are passionate, but also require students to learn how to communicate about the topic to multiple and diverse audiences."

Michelewicz organized a teacher training workshop for 54 teachers in Villard, Artibonite, Haiti, with the Haiti School Project. Eric Demuelenaere, of Clark's Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education, facilitated the five-day workshop for teachers, as well as a one-day workshop for principals from the area on topics such as powerful learning, curriculum design, and lesson planning. Visit this link for more details: www.haitischoolproject.org/our-projects/teacher-training/.

"My experience doing the teacher training workshop in Haiti was very rewarding and also very successful. It was challenging, but my work over the course of the year really paid off," she said.

"Since beginning this project I have taken my major in international development and social change and focused in on the power of education to change lives," said Michelewicz. "I will continue to organize similar humanitarian education-based projects over my next few years at Clark. This project has helped me see what things are possible."

Michelewicz was also one of 10 Clark undergraduate students who received a Steinbrecher Fellowship this spring; she used this award to fund her project. The Steinbrecher Fellowship Program was established in 2006 to encourage and support Clark undergraduates' pursuit of original ideas, creative research, and community service projects.

"Alina's proposal was a result of nearly two years of careful thinking, two visits to Haiti and preparation. The people in Haiti are excited to help her implement the project... It is very rare to find a student who is consistently pursuing projects with relentless dedication," said Jude Fernando, associate professor of international development at Clark, who serves as Michelewicz's faculty sponsor.

Michelewicz is a member of the Class of 2014. In addition to international development and social change, she also majors in economics at Clark. Her academic performance has earned her a spot on Clark's Dean's List; she is also the recipient of the Roger Van Tassel Book Award for Introductory Economics and a Jonas Clark Merit Scholarship. On campus, she is a member of Feminists United Under Clark, Peaceworks, and is co-founder of Clarkies for Sustainable Development in Haiti, a student club.

Michelewicz is a 2009 graduate of Keene High School and the daughter of Gary Michelewicz and Caren Barrett.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a small, liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Clark's faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to contemporary challenges in the areas of psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University's motto: Challenge convention. Change our world. www.clarku.edu