Civic engagement cultivates intentional relationships and attends to power dynamics so that people with different experiences and perspectives can develop creative solutions together. In the CCE, we work to remove barriers and build structures that make civic engagement visible, welcoming, and impactful.
Students engage with community tax clients
Seventy-nine UR students supported this year’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, available at no charge to individuals and families with incomes of $69,000 or less.
The United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg hosts the VITA program locally with 11 tax prep sites. The CCE and Robins School of Business operate one of these tax prep sites in downtown Richmond at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Students receive special training and ride free campus shuttles to the sites. This year, volunteers prepared 592 tax returns over 1,893 total service hours for $631,305 in federal refunds.
Jolie Martin and Zheke Qian, both accounting majors, were co-site coordinators in their third year as volunteers.
“Probably the most memorable experience was when I helped a deaf client,” Martin said. “Through the long process, the client left extremely happy and with a refund in their pocket.”
“Our VITA students learn the value of civic engagement, gain experience working with clients, and provide real-world impact by saving our Richmond neighbors the expense of tax preparation.”
Sharing a passion for science
With support from the CCE, sophomore Natalie Small launched a new UR Science Explorers after-school program at longtime community partner St. Andrew’s School, a tuition-free school based in Oregon Hill.
"Natalie did a lot of intentional work partnering with St. Andrew’s staff to determine the best rhythms, structures, and learning experiences for their students," said Blake Stack, CCE senior associate director of student engagement.
Ultimately, St. Andrew’s scheduled three sessions for hands-on, experiment-based learning activities with UR Science Explorers.
"I wanted projects that were interactive as possible, but also connected to science concepts, like physics and energy," Small said. "I also wanted to provide Richmond students the opportunity to be involved, because I really found it rewarding to become involved off campus and volunteering in the community."
"Our students are at the beginning of their journeys to become engineers, urban planners, architects, artists. We truly thank the volunteers for facilitating those early experiences."
Bonner Scholars commit to sites across Richmond
Throughout their first year, Bonner Scholars explore nonprofits, schools, and government agencies across Richmond to identify the right site for their next three years of community engagement.
Political science major Melissa Pacaja was drawn to Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME)’s mission to ensure equal access to housing for all people and now interns in their Counseling, Housing, and Education Department. She handles record-keeping and court searches and collaborates with other departments on policy and communications projects.
"She has such a variety of interests, and HOME works in such a variety of ways that the organization really does have a lot of different opportunities available for student interns," said Emilia Hodal, Pacaja’s advisor with the Bonner Scholars Program. "She's in a good place, because she can really live into her passion and dedication and desire for a variety of experiences."
Richmond organizations who hosted three or more Bonner Scholars in 2025–26 included CrossOver Healthcare Ministry, Feed More, Health Brigade, Higher Achievement, IT4Causes, MENTOR Virginia, City of Richmond Office of Sustainability, Peter Paul, Ronald McDonald House Richmond, Sacred Heart Center, the Science Museum of Virginia, Virginia Interfaith Center for Pubic Policy, and Youth Life Foundation of Richmond.
Mapping flooding in the Southside
In 2024, Maya Basnyat completed a CCE Marsh Civic Fellowship at Southside ReLeaf, a nonprofit that advances environmental justice in South Richmond through community-led greening, education, advocacy, and community science. Her positive experience led to a new community relationship that continues to deepen.
In 2025, the Go with the Flow participatory science initiative, a collaboration between Southside ReLeaf and UR, was launched with support from a CCE Community-Engaged Research and Creative Activity grant. Since then, hundreds of area residents have submitted flooding observations, and the data is mapped in real time.
Spatial Analysis Lab intern Julia Norton and Grace Thorpe, who worked with Southside ReLeaf for associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability Stephanie Spera’s Geography Capstone, have contributed to the project’s success.
“Students see how things work outside of academia,” Spera said. “They are also accountable to a real person, and it motivates them more, because it shows them that what they do matters.”
Go with the Flow is now in its second year, and this summer, Spera, with professor of geography, environment, & sustainability Todd Lookingbill and assistant professor of health studies Hemali Oza alongside Southside ReLeaf and the Virginia Department of Health, received a Jeffress Trust grant to pursue Workplan Action Towards Environmental Resilience (WATER), a two-year planning initiative designed to understand and address the health impacts of chronic flooding in the Southside.
Devin Morgan honored as Newman Civic Fellow
Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program that recognizes and supports student public problem solvers. Every year, President Hallock nominates a UR student for this honor, and they join a network of connected and engaged student leaders from across the nation. Presidential Scholar and Bonner Scholar Devin Morgan was named our 2025–26 Newman Civic Fellow. With support from the CCE, he also attended the Newman Civic Fellows Convening in Chicago, Illinois.
During his time at Richmond, Morgan engaged with the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter and Shalom Farms and served as president of the student club Green UR.
“For me, being civically engaged is about treating whatever community you’re in like home and the people who inhabit it like family. That sense of responsibility pushes me to stay committed to service, whether locally in Richmond, back home in Houston, or abroad.”