As you find your reason to choose the University of New Hampshire, you’ll discover that our pioneering leadership on sustainability (reason #10) combined with our model of experiential education (reason #4) creates an empowering environment for future changemakers. You won’t just engage with the challenges facing our communities and planet: you’ll learn by solving them.
That’s one of the many reasons UNH is such a great fit for students who believe in their capacity to affect positive change and want to be part of a campus community that shares their values – and who don’t want to wait until graduation to start leading the way.
Students like Alexandra Vergara ’23, an English teaching and education major with a minor in Spanish. She came into UNH as a Changemaker Fellow, which is a lifechanging home base for students who want their degree to do more for the world. Benefits include professional and academic mentorship, a cohort of likeminded peers from all backgrounds and majors, and pre-acceptance to signature Changemaker Collaborative programs like Semester in the City (SITC), an immersive internship program for good open to all UNH students.
So, it’s no surprise that Alexandra made her way to the SITC program, where she interned for 826 Boston, the New England hub for the literacy education organization 826 National. Students participating in SITC are paired with non-profits and private sector companies based on how their unique skillset will benefit the organization’s needs. That means you’ll be doing actual, mission-important work – all while earning a full semester of UNH credits, making meaningful professional connections and learning from a dedicated mentor as part of an inspirational cohort.
With her background in English education and Spanish-language skillset, Alexandra was a perfect fit for the 826 Boston Writers Room, where she doubled as both an intern and tutor. Her work, she says, was about “cultivating a joy for writing.”
As a Changemaker Fellow at UNH, Alexandra learned about the many facets of sustainability beyond environmental conservation. She was encouraged to think big about problem solving,
“If you think it's unsolvable, we just have not been innovative enough or thought about it enough or collaborated enough,” she says. “Every problem has a solution. You just have to think creatively to get there.”
That vision shaped her work at 826 Boston, where she knew expanding literacy could be a catalyst for more inclusive communities. Her experience has also furthered her own professional journey. Recently, she was interviewed by Hari Sreenivisan from the PBS NewsHour on a virtual panel for a national conference on the future of cities.
Semester in the City essentials:
- Participate in Boston or on the Durham campus
- Boston participants live in apartments near the BU/BC campus
- Intern for 30 hours/a week advancing social good priorities at a nonprofit or company
- Participants are matched with a dedicated mentor/advisor
- Earn a full semester of UNH credits at the same tuition as a regular semester at UNH
- Financial aid applies
Inspired? Keep learning more about SITC. Read Alexandra’s full story. Hear from current Wildcats about what sustainability at UNH means to them.
At UNH, your passion and point-of-view fuel your purpose – and that’s an incredible reason to say yes to your Wildcat future. Find your UNH reason.
