Student Engagement Across DCE
From the Classroom to the Community
This fall, the Hub is home to four academic interns, including three School of Social Work field placements and one HPEX student, as well as a student employee. In partnership with the School of Social Work Evaluation Lab, the student will spend the academic year helping tell the story of the Hub’s impact on community wellness through its data.
The learning doesn’t stop there. Dental hygiene students are bringing service-learning projects to the Hub, while graduate students participating in VCU’s Vertically Integrated Projects program are working across mental health disciplines on a community-located mental health hub.
Together, these experiences make the Health Hub a place where students, faculty, and community come together to learn, contribute, and put ideas into action.
From the Classroom to the Workforce
Aspen Anders first learned about the Small Business Opportunity Center in a VCU entrepreneurship class taught by Dr. Patrice Perry-Rivers. Interested in the work, she joined SBOC as a student intern and gained hands-on experience supporting its programs, events, and communications.
After earning her B.A. in Management from VCU in fall 2025, Aspen moved from intern to full-time Grant Reporting and Program Coordinator with SBOC. She is also pursuing her MBA at VCU.
Her journey is a great example of what can happen when classroom learning, faculty mentorship, and real-world experience come together. With Dr. Perry-Rivers’ mentorship, an opportunity that started in the classroom became a pathway to a career. Now, Aspen is helping create opportunities for entrepreneurs and communities through the very initiative she first encountered as a VCU student.
“The SBOC gives so much to the community and is truly an amazing organization that can help so many small business owners,” Anders said. “I always recommend the center to anyone I know that is pursuing opening a small business.”
Learning Through Community
For VCU senior Cynara Manley, working at the Mary and Frances Youth Center has become more than a student job. Now in her second year as a Lead After-School Program Counselor, the Health and Physical Education major works directly with young people while gaining experience that is helping shape what she wants to do after graduation.
“I love the MFYC because it allows me to work and connect with children in the community one-on-one while learning who I am and what I want to continue to do in life”, Cynara says.
Her experience is one example of how VCU students can learn through meaningful work in community settings while contributing their own talents. Cynara is also expanding that experience as a newly accepted GivePulse Student Ambassador.
And when she is not studying or working with youth, Cynara runs her own baking business, Cynful Sweets.