East Carolina University: CIVIL ENGINEERING

Press release from East Carolina University:

Matt Smith

2021-08-09

In its unassuming headquarters just a mile from East Carolina University’s main campus, the nonprofit community action group NC CIVIL plans big things for the West Greenville community.

Specializing in outreach, citizen engagement and partnership development for community-based initiatives, NC CIVIL found a perfect partner to help advance its work — the Public Fellows Internship (PFI) program at ECU.

Rising senior Emma Kemp, a political science major in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, was nervous about finding her role with the organization. But, as the summer progressed, her passion for community engagement was stoked by NC CIVIL and its director Jermaine McNair.

“It was completely out of my comfort zone,” Kemp said. “I could have picked an internship site where I just sat in the office and did the same things I’d do in class. But I wouldn’t have grown as much as I’ve done with NC CIVIL.”

During her internship, Kemp has learned the ins and outs of what gives a community its identity and how economic and political decisions affect communities.

“It’s been eye opening,” Kemp said. “A specific example is how I first viewed the new 10th Street Connector that bridges main campus and the health sciences campus. When it first went in, I thought, ‘Oh great, this will make traveling faster!’

“I didn’t realize that it would isolate the community I’m working in now,. Traffic goes over West Greenville instead of through it. It made me investigate how the decisions our local government makes affect us.”

An eye-opening experience was just what Kemp wanted when she applied for the internship.

“A few of the internship sites aligned with my major, but a lot of them were data management focused,” Kemp said. “NC CIVIL stood out because I was going to get involved with a community. In the future, if I decide to go into local government work, I’d rather be in the community working and interacting than stuck behind a desk.”

The Morehead City native received plenty of experience with the West Greenville community over her three months in the PFI program. She’s worked directly with community members at events hosted by partner nonprofits and manages volunteers directed to NC CIVIL from outside groups. Her work with the organization’s volunteers ensures that other regional nonprofits have the workforce to staff their events.

“I’ve lived in Greenville for a few years now, but I now feel like I really know Greenville,” Kemp said.

McNair, who earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees from ECU, said having the university’s knowledge and talent available at NC CIVIL’s doorstep is a resource he doesn’t take for granted.

“When you go into any city in America, you find that most underserved communities are the older, more historic communities,” McNair said. “As cities grow, the wealth moves out. One of the things that typically does not shift outward are universities — it’s hard for them to just pack up and leave like a retail company.

Along with the PFI program, Kemp is a member of ECU’s Innovation Living Learning Community. The LLC is focused on developing innovative entrepreneurial responses to community issues.

Administered by the Office of Community Engagement and Research, the SECU Public Fellows Internship program at ECU connects the university and regional communities through projects that address community-identified priorities. Students are placed in government and nonprofit positions that allow them to develop leadership, analytical, problem-solving, communication and project management skills. Learn more about the program online.

This press release was produced by East Carolina University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.