CHER Community Engagement Fellows Get Trinity Students ‘Out and About’ in Hartford
Beginning in the Fall of 2023, Linnea Mayo ’26 and VySa Nguyen ’26 have served as Community Engagement Fellows for the Center of Hartford Engagement and Research (CHER). As fellows, they aim to inspire Trinity College students to explore Hartford beyond the campus boundaries, foster a sense of community among other CHER students, and advocate for destigmatizing preconceived notions about the city.
For our first event, on October 16th, 2023, our goal was to familiarize Trinity College students with the Hartford Public Library. To achieve this, we took them to the Park Street Library @ the Lyric, where they engaged in a discussion centered around Yaa Gyasi’s novel, Homegoing. Students assembled at Trinfo Café and took the city bus down Broad Street, making a stop at a Hartford restaurant, El Sarape. There, we enjoyed dinner and conversation before heading to the library. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the library staff and introduced to Haneef Nelson, who led the panel discussion that illuminated the rich history of Black music in Connecticut and its significant impact nationwide. Students stayed after the event to ask further questions and were gifted copies of the novel Homecoming.
On November 11th, 2023, our second “Out & About” event was at the Wadsworth Atheneum, where we explored a wide array of art exhibitions spanning from classical masterpieces to contemporary creations. Afterward, we took the city bus to Semilla Cafe + Studio, a woman-owned cafe and studio that aims to create an inclusive space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities in Hartford. Through this event, participants developed an understanding of the city’s cultural richness, which encouraged further exploration of downtown attractions.
Finally, on December 8th, 2023 we hosted a CHER Mixer at The Underground Coffee House. This event welcomed all students affiliated with CHER, including those involved in Community Learning courses or programs such as the Community Action Gateway or Liberal Arts Action Lab, Trinfo Cafe employees, HTMCA tutors, and Office of Community Service employees. Through engaging activities like Human Bingo and poster planning sessions, students had the opportunity to connect with peers and collaboratively brainstorm ideas for future Out & About events and goals. One participant remarked, “I thought it was a great way of meeting with alumni and catching up with old classmates.”
During this event, we engaged in deeper conversations with participants from our previous gatherings, who offered encouraging feedback for our future plans. One student praised the student-led nature of the fellowship, appreciating how familiar faces on campus were the event organizers. Another loved how our events brought students together for some bonding opportunities.
The feedback we received from the three events clearly indicates that Trinity students are eager to learn more about Hartford and engage in further opportunities organized by CHER to explore the city. The aspect they look forward to the most is delving into different neighborhoods and immersing themselves in the various cultural experiences Hartford has to offer.
In the upcoming semester, we want to use the feedback from our CHER Mixer and our RSVP forms to organize more events and incorporate greater student input into our planning process. We also aspire to forge stronger collaborations with other organizations both on and off campus to support existing community initiatives and foster long-term, meaningful partnerships. Our goal as CHER Community Engagement Fellows is to organize accessible ways for students to not only venture off campus but truly feel a sense of belonging in Hartford.
