ChesterSemester Fellowship
23-24 ChesterSemester Fellows with course instructor Professor Giovanna Di Chiro, and program assistants Cynthia Shi '24 and Ashley Henry.
The ChesterSemester Fellowship is an interdisciplinary program on social change with an engaged scholarship (ESCH) internship component. The purpose of the program is to facilitate committed student engagement with visionary leaders in the city of Chester and focuses on critically understanding and helping to ameliorate some of society’s most pressing real-world problems by enabling students to participate in civic volunteer programs throughout the academic year.
Apply
- Applications are open March 17 - March 26, 2025.
- For more information, watch the program info session (recorded Spring '24).
Resources
WATCH: Program introduction from Prof. Mark Wallace
ChesterSemester consists of the following key elements:
- Fall Course Enrollment
- The ChesterSemester Fellowship (ENVS 007/BLST 007) is a Fall semester course consisting of a weekly class facilitated by engaged faculty, staff, and community partners. This course combines meaningful readings and in-depth conversations with Chester community leaders.
As an Environmental Studies exercise, the ChesterSemester Fellowship course focuses on the social, economic, and political interactions of residents with the food systems, waste management and related infrastructure needs of Chester city. As a Black Studies offering, the course and internship studies the challenges and contributions of Black Chesterites in relation to historic white privilege within Delaware County and the Philadelphia region. Both areas of study provide the academic backbone for enabling students to address the intersectional disadvantages and harms communities of color face in the wider society.
ENVS 007 is cross-listed with BLST 007 and eligible for credit in BLST, ENVS, ESCH.
- The ChesterSemester Fellowship (ENVS 007/BLST 007) is a Fall semester course consisting of a weekly class facilitated by engaged faculty, staff, and community partners. This course combines meaningful readings and in-depth conversations with Chester community leaders.
- Spring Semester Cohort Meetings
- During the spring semester, monthly cohort meetings will take the place of a weekly class. Students will convene once per month to reflect on their continued engagement with Chester, make practical application of their scholarship from the fall ChesterSemester course, and prepare for a public-facing final presentation.
- Fall and Spring Internship
- Students participating in the ChesterSemester Fellowship are paired with Chester-based organizations and partners. They will have the opportunity to work closely with community mentors. The internship is estimated to be a 4-5 hr/wk commitment which will continue into the Spring as a paid fellowship.
2024-2025 Fellows & Partners
- Jadyn Beckett '28 - Health Educated, Inc.
- Ava Chon '26 - Health Educated, Inc.
- Adrian Duran Rey '27 - Chester City Hall
- Madeline Fox '27 - Chester Community Improvement Project
- Vanessa Gonzalez-Rychener '28 - Chester Eastside, Inc.
- Quinn Mass '28 - Chester Justice Digital Collection
- Aaron Moss '28 - Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL)
- Ashley Rehrig '26 - Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL)
- Adina Shane '27 - Yes We Can Achievement and Cultural Center
- Angela Solorio '28 -Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL)
- Daniela Tratjman '28 - Chester City Hall
- Eve Umutoni '28 - Chester Education Foundation
- Yifan Zhu '28 - Chester Justice Digital Collection
