Javier Hernandez
Katie Weaver
Marco Ramirez
Ra’Shan Stubbs
The Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) at the University of Central Arkansas has selected undergraduate students Javier Hernandez of Rogers, Katie Weaver of Wynne, Marco Ramirez of Bentonville and Ra’Shan Stubbs of Nassau, Bahamas for the spring Community and Economic Development (CED) Fellowship.
The mission of the CED fellowship is to expose students to a variety of community or economic development careers and provide networking, coaching and mentoring to enhance student career preparedness.
During the program, fellows attend site visits that showcase community and economic development activities at the local and state levels of government and in the nonprofit sector. The fellows participate in activities such as job shadowing, organization tours, mock interviews and mentorship from CCED staff. Fellows also have the opportunity to join the Arkansas Community Development Society and attend the 2019 Community Development Institute. Fellowship activities are customized to fit students’ interests and needs.
“I applied to be a CED fellow because I love my community and want to better serve it. The fellowship is the perfect way to integrate my love of serving with my future career goals,” said Weaver, a sophomore psychology and criminology major.
Stubbs, a senior management information systems major, said she applied for the fellowship because she wants to gain experience in the field of community and economic development. She is also looking forward to mentorship opportunities from the CCED staff.
The spring 2019 fellowship will run February through April, with a site visit to a community and economic development organization occurring each month. The fellows will visit the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Public Policy Panel and Haven House.
“I want exposure and experience in different careers in public policy,” shared Hernandez, a sophomore environmental science and political science major. “I hope to take away valuable skills and knowledge that will help me in my future career.”
Ramirez, a junior communication and public relations major, said, “Through the fellowship, I want to become more connected and established with professionals throughout the central Arkansas region. I am excited about the networking opportunities.”
“This group of Community and Economic Development Fellows is our most diverse yet. We are interacting with students from an assortment of programs here on campus,” said Shelby Fiegel, managing director of the Center for Community and Economic Development. “Our team believes that the field of community and economic development is a career path students from a variety of academic programs can pursue. Our job is to introduce them to different sectors within the field of community and economic development and mentor them as they prepare to enter the workforce.”
For more information about the CED Fellowship, visit uca.edu/cced/community-and-economic-development-fellowship/ or call Shelby Fiegel at (501) 450-5269.
About the Center for Community and Economic Development: The Center for Community and Economic Development’s mission is to have a positive impact on communities by equipping leaders with economic tools and resources, building consensus to achieve community goals and bringing UCA resources and communities together. CCED envisions communities across Arkansas and the country with robust economies, a flourishing quality of life and diverse and engaged citizen leaders. CCED provides customized training and technical assistance to communities and their leaders. Learn more at uca.edu/cced.
