As we wrap up this year’s CCPD Impact Report, I realized I had never written about one of my favorite experiences of the year. Five months later, what stays with me is how one student’s vision grew into a truly collaborative experience involving student leaders, K Votes, the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), the CCPD, a faculty member, alumni, and community partners.
The trip began with one student’s vision. After leading a panel with city government officials on campus in the fall, Hollis Masterson ‘26, Political Science Departmental Student Advisor, imagined an opportunity for students to experience state government firsthand. He wanted students to meet elected officials, connect with alumni working in public service, and better understand the many ways they could make a difference through government and public policy.
The idea quickly grew into a collaborative effort, bringing together K Votes student leaders and other Departmental Student Advisors, with support from the CCE and the CCPD. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to watch my colleague in the CCE, Oakley Gabriel ‘21, work with the student leaders throughout the planning process. Oakley has a remarkable ability to mentor students without taking over. By asking thoughtful questions, offering encouragement, and trusting students with real responsibility, they helped create the conditions for student leadership to flourish. Hollis’s vision may have sparked the trip, but Oakley’s approach helped ensure it remained a collaborative student-led experience.
Together, the student leaders developed an incredibly rich day for participants. Students met with state legislators, including alumni Matt Longjohn ’93 and Darrin Camilleri ’14, along with Representative Julie Rogers and Senator Sean McCann. They also spent time with staff in the Secretary of State’s Office, an attorney from the Attorney General’s Office, observed both House and Senate sessions, stood on the House floor, and shared lunch with alumna Sydney Walker (Brown) ’18 and Robert LeFevre, president of Michigan Independent Colleges & Universities.
One of the things that made the day especially memorable was having political science faculty, Dr. Justin Berry join us. Throughout the day, Dr. Berry asked questions that encouraged students to think more deeply and drew connections between what we were hearing and what students had studied in class. It was a reminder that experiential learning is at its best when classroom learning and real-world experiences inform one another.
Watching this trip come together reminded me that some of the most meaningful educational experiences aren’t owned by any one office or department. They emerge through partnership: when students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners each contribute something they couldn’t have accomplished alone. I hope we continue creating more opportunities like this.
