Community-Engaged Research in Action

Graduate students interested in community-engaged research and leadership are invited to join the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity and the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute for Fostering Student Agency for Community Engagement.

The panel will feature current and former students Kelsi Walters (School of Social Work), Nikita Chigullapally (Carle Illinois College of Medicine), and Melany Romero (Community Health), alongside their faculty mentors Kevin Tan (School of Social Work), Margarita Teran-Garcia (Illinois Extension and the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition), and Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo (Department of Health and Kinesiology). 

Together, they will share how community-engaged research has fostered student leadership, professional growth, and meaningful community partnerships. Students will discuss how they developed agency to make a difference, while faculty share how they empower students to become leaders and changemakers beyond the classroom.