Summer Literacy Program by Books Beyond Barriers: Sophia Wong '21
Sophia Wong ‘21's service project, Books Beyond Barriers, evolved from its initial focus on summer literacy into a distribution initiative for Los Angeles’s most vulnerable populations, focusing on a partnership with a Korean women’s domestic violence organization. After delivering an initial 150 books to the organization’s emergency relocation sites, Sophie and her partner installed "Empowerment Mini-Libraries," with collections featuring dual-language and women-centered books designed to provide comfort and stability for mothers and children during traumatic transitions. To sustain these efforts, Sophie planned book drives from Thanksgiving through Winter Break at several Los Angeles schools. These donations also support Access Books, which serves low-income schools. Sophie also helps maintain mini-libraries at Esperanza Community Housing and My Friend’s Place for homeless and foster youth. To ensure the project’s longevity, she plans to develop a website to document her impact and provide a blueprint for others to replicate this community-based book distribution model.
Addressing the Crisis of Attention Through Martial Arts: Zach Rodsky '21
Zach led a free community workshop to help children and families build focus, discipline, and emotional resilience through the principles of Taekwondo. Held at Jeong Chong Martial Arts studio, the program served local public school students ages 7 through 11 and their families, offering mindfulness exercises, goal-setting strategies, and age-appropriate instruction on attention and self-regulation. The workshop featured a community resource fair with local nonprofits. Participants completed pre- and post-surveys to help assess the program’s impact, and Zach maintained a reflective teaching journal as part of his broader research. By creating a welcoming, in-person experience, he hopes to equip others with tools to navigate today’s challenges.
怀亚特致力于通过高尔夫运动将退伍军人和高中生联系起来。Par for Patriots 每月举办一次活动,让退伍军人学习高尔夫、进行社交,并参加活动前的冥想课程,以帮助他们控制压力和创伤后应激障碍。怀亚特在一次退伍军人全员参与活动的经历中受到启发,他利用自己的奖项创建了一个空间,让青少年和退伍军人可以建立有意义的联系。这个项目不仅对退伍军人产生了积极影响,还拓展了像他一样的其他高中生的视野,让他们有机会与与自己截然不同的人交流并向他们学习。怀亚特终生热爱高尔夫运动,他致力于让这项运动更加普及,同时为退伍军人建立一个相互支持的社区。
亲爱的亚美尼亚:亲爱的亚美尼亚:高加索地区的战后愈合和文化丰富》,为亚美尼亚慈善总会(The Armenian General Benevolent Union)和 "富勒之家"(Fuller House)建设项目筹集资金:德里克(Derek)'18 和安德鲁(Andrew Esrailian)'20
返校书包募捐活动:Will Chandrasekhar '17 在过去的一年里,Will一直在 El Nido 家庭中心担任数学辅导志愿者。他越来越多地参与到 El Nido 的项目中,并通过担任摄像师和编辑来提高人们对其使命的认识,从而进一步磨练了自己的技能。在社区服务奖的帮助下,他计划为 El Nido 的返校书包计划提供大量援助,包括购买必要的学习用品和组织志愿者准备书包,以便分发给学生。Will 解释了他在中欧和东欧大学的学习生活是如何鼓励他继续回馈社会的,他说,"在社会和学术方面学到的价值观将伴随我的一生,指导我并作为我在世界上的经历的基础"。
周日午餐驱动器:安雅-沙(Anya Shah)'17
安雅参加了 Hang Out Do Good 联盟,该联盟收集全洛杉矶家庭制作的午餐,分发给其他无法获得健康、稳定食物供应的家庭。每个周末,Anya 和她的家人都会准备并运送 20-60 份纸袋午餐,在回馈社会的同时增进亲情。获得 "社区服务奖 "后,安雅计划扩大准备饭菜的数量,进一步消除低收入社区的食品不安全问题。Anya 的项目受到了 CEE 与西好莱坞食品联盟合作的思想和意图的启发,体现了 CEE 关怀和责任的核心价值观。