Over the coming year, the DMC will be featuring interviews with the alumni of our longest running program: The Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program (JOIP).

Since the program’s 2008 inauguration, the DMC has partnered with 10 of Alabama’s colleges and universities, over 100 students, and communities across the state to create unique research-based learning experiences. These experiences provide students the opportunity to collaborate with community members in addressing common concerns through the use of deliberative practices.

In the eight years since its creation, the DMC has benefitted greatly from the dedication and ingenuity of the JOIP participants. Many of the program’s alumni have since graduated, applying their expertise and creativity in their professional and personal lives to cultivate engagement in the communities where they now live. The upcoming blog series will take the opportunity to highlight these alumni by sharing their stories, which we believe will provide insight into the Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program and the wealth of civic-minded work being carried out by young people throughout the state.

To learn more about the program’s namesake, Jean O’Connor-Snyder, and her legacy of mentorship at University of Alabama students, take a look at this brief video in her honor.

Written by Gabrielle Lamplugh, Civic Fellow.