Making Change through Policy Research

During my time at ACE, I have been a team leader for the Community Policy Institute. This have given me the chance to work closely with local non-profits such as the Environmental Advocates of New York and the Hunger Action Network. In addition to honing my skills in areas such as policy research and public speaking, I have had the opportunity to work collaboratively with other students, and the community, to create lasting, sustainable change. Not only has ACE provided me with a cohort of peers who I have learned from, and built friendships with, but it has allowed me to take my academic experience beyond the classroom into an area of transformative work that benefits those who surround Siena. Myself, along with those I’ve worked with, have volunteered our time, done advocacy work, created policy change, and formed everlasting partnerships that work to better the world that we live in. ACE is more than a club or internship, it is a once in a lifetime experience that allows students to grow, help others, and change the world. Though students in ACE belong to different programs and projects, we all share the desire to make our community a more livable, respectable place for all. The work that we do is about more than us, it is about the community, our neighbors, our Franciscan mission, and the desire to spread love, empathy, and to serve one another.

-Alex Pearce ’19, CPI Team Leader