Caroline Boudreau, Colgate University
Caroline Boudreau, a sophomore at Colgate University, is an advocate for children from troubled backgrounds through direct service. As a Psychology major, Caroline focuses on understanding the role that barriers of mental illness play for some children. This summer, she will intern at a support program helping low income, female headed families break the cycle of poverty. Caroline leads a group of volunteers planning activities three nights a week for adolescent women in a local group home. She is also a tutor, a member of Oxfam and Active Minds, where she raises awareness to reduce stigma about mental health. Caroline firmly believes that breaking down the achievement gap for disadvantaged youth is a complex struggle to understand and act on the multi-faceted circumstances that lead to barriers for advancement. She has interned with a non-profit, providing summer enrichment opportunities for inner-city children and leading activities for teens in the Acute Care Center. Caroline is steadfast in her determination to make a difference in the lives of those who struggle to overcome a wide variety of barriers to achievement. Her contributions on Colgate’s campus are undoubtedly a small glimpse into the great things she will accomplish in her professional career.
-Jeffrey Herbst
Through my work at Colgate and over the summer, I dedicate myself to helping children overcome limitations such as educational disadvantages, poverty, and mental illness. My work as a teaching assistant and direct service leader for Students for Students takes an educational approach of providing support to students who need a little help to reach their full potential. Through volunteering at Silver Hill Mental Hospital and being a leader of FAM, where we work girls in a group home, I form relationships with adolescents who have so much promise; the support we offer prevents them from falling deeper into the system, and shows them that there are people who care. This summer I am a Colgate Manzi Fellow working with Julie’s Family Learning Program, which works to break the cycle of poverty with at-risk mothers and children through developing stable families. I hope to continue to help youth fight against the adversities that hold them back through creating positive, supportive communities that assist them in reaching their full potential. I believe that forming meaningful relationships with those who need a little help fosters social change on both a small and large scale, making the world a better place.
-Caroline Boudreau
