Haverford, Pa. – Rebecca Fisher ’17 is working for the Michigan Land Use of Institute this summer through the Haverford College Center for the Peace and Global Citizenship (CPGC) internship program.
The CPGC is an academic center whose mission is to integrate innovative scholarship and responsible civic engagement. Through its myriad programs, the Center serves as a bridge between the classroom and the world at large around issues of peace and social justice.
CPGC’s internship programs have been developed to widen and deepen Haverford's connections with social change organizations and to encourage a collaborative approach to pressing social, cultural and ethical concerns.
Fisher, a member of the Haverford College women’s cross country and track and field teams, was looking for an internship that developed her overall academic experience. “I wanted to do this CPGC internship because I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about how non-profits work, to improve my writing (with a writing focused internship), to explore a part of the world that I had never been to and to use some of what I’ve learned in the classroom and combine it with some real world experience.”
The Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI) is a non-profit advocacy organization that believes building community and developing durable economic resilience is long-term, systemic work. Fisher writes about three main programs of the MLUI, transportation, food and farming and clean energy.
“For transportation, I write about smart commuting or getting around without a car in Northern Michigan,” said the rising sophomore. “For food and farming, I go to the farmers market, learn about local produce and what it means economically to spend money locally rather than to buy things made far away. For clean energy, I have been very involved in working with a campaign to get a pipeline out of the Mackinac Straits.” Fisher wrote an article on the Haverford blog about the pipeline in Mackinac Straits. http://blogs.haverford.edu/globalcitizen/2014/06/30/oil-and-water-dont-mix/
Fisher was involved in development for the MLUI, doing stewardship calls, thanking donors, and setting up donor events. She also ran the Instagram account for MLUI as well.
The Philadelphia native’s favorite part about her internship was being in Michigan. “I had never been to Michigan and never heard of Traverse City, but I have fallen in love with this place,” said the women’s cross country and track and field member. “This place is surrounded by beautiful scenery and is defined by its landscape that draws people from all over the Midwest. People truly identify with one another and aspire to help the community. I will never forget this community and the people in it.”
The rising sophomore believes that her time at MLUI has taught her a lot. “This internship has showed how important work is on a local level, but also how national and international policies can really shape what work can be done,” Fisher stated. “What I love is that everything I have spent my time on has been for something I actually really care about. Whether I'm writing an article about biking to work or about the farmers market, I feel like I'm part of something really important.”