This April, the Center for Social Impact (CSI) hosted its 20th Annual End-of-Year Celebration and Awards Ceremony, recognizing students, faculty, and community partners for their commitment to community-engaged learning and service. The ceremony began with a welcome from Melissa Quan, EdD, director of CSI.
“For 20 years, the Center’s work has demonstrated what’s possible when students, faculty, and community partners come together with purpose to create meaningful change,” said Dr. Quan, noting that “real impact doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens through trust, collaboration, and sustained engagement.”
Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
At this year’s ceremony, the Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., Award for Excellence in Community Engagement was presented to Betsy Bowen, PhD, professor of English in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, in recognition of her sustained commitment to community-engaged teaching and scholarship.
Dr. Bowen developed her first community-engaged course in 2008 with the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport and has continued to build sustained partnerships that connect her students with local communities, including Cesar Batalla Elementary School. Since 2012 alone, her students have contributed more than 1,300 volunteer hours working with over 300 Cesar Batalla students—an approach Bowen describes as a “pedagogy of hope.” In addition to her teaching, she served as faculty chair of Community-Engaged Learning from 2018 to 2022 and is widely appreciated for her mentorship of fellow faculty members.
Outstanding Community Partner Award
The Outstanding Community Partner Award was presented to the Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport, Conn., which partnered with Bridget Hussain, PhD, RDN, CDCES, CDN, assistant professor of public health in the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and Jocelyn Novella, PhD, LPC, ACS, BC-TMH, associate professor of counseling education in the School of Education and Human Development. Together, they collaborated on a community-engaged learning project analyzing data from prevention education workshops.
Humanitarian Action Leadership Award
Mia Van Mater ’26, a Fairfield Meditz behavioral neuroscience major and humanitarian action and health studies minor, received the Humanitarian Action Leadership Award. During her time at Fairfield, Van Mater was a Humanitarian Action fellow, president of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Campus Chapter Club, and a member of the varsity women’s crew team.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to the Center for Social Impact for being the most amazing, supportive community and truly a second home during my four years at Fairfield,” said Van Mater.
2026 Newman Civic Fellow
William Ehlers ’27, a Charles F. Dolan School of Business finance major and computer science minor, was named a 2026 Newman Civic fellow. Through the Newman Civic fellowship, Ehlers will develop a bilingual diabetes education program designed to empower Spanish-speaking community members to better understand and manage their health.
“Through my family’s experience, I’ve seen firsthand how language barriers can make managing chronic conditions like diabetes incredibly difficult,” said Ehlers. “This work is also very personal to me. As someone living with type 1 diabetes, I understand how overwhelming it can be to navigate care even with full access to resources. That experience has shaped my commitment to making health education more accessible, culturally relevant, and community centered.”
The ceremony also recognized the following students.
