by Jasmin Lucas
When coming to Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), there are so many clubs, activities, and groups to be a part of. One group that managed to peak my interest is the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy. I discovered this program in my second semester and after a general application and brief interview, I experienced so much of what Mandel had to offer me.
Mandel as a program awards scholarships to students who are in good standing in the program. To reach good standing you have to take three humanities classes (one in your first, second, and third semester) and attend three Cleadership Activities per semester.
Cleadership is a way for Mandel to have students be involved in Cleveland. I have been to so many events, even after I already met the mandatory three to attend. The events are held in a variety of locations, ranging from west to east sides of the city. I attended a bookstore event where we were able to explore small bookstores and keep a book; attended Zygote studios and learning how letterpress contributed to civil rights; and even attended plays. Cleadership activities are truly a wonderful variety of experiences for students to sign up for and there is an event scheduled nearly every day.
Mandel focuses on Cleveland and involvement as they heavily lean into how we can contribute to the city and improve lives. The many events highlight this need for change and have led to me becoming more involved in the community. It is a program which also encourages students to get to know each other, as the classes you take will likely have familiar faces.
Other benefits for Mandel that stand out to me are its trips. Mandel offers a variety of trips for students outside of Cleadership activities, overseas and in the state. Mandel’s trips for this year are to Alabama, Colorado, London, Paris, and Japan. I am part of Mandel’s group for the Japan trip and our itinerary is already prepared for the weeklong stay in the summer.
I really cannot understate Mandel’s incredible reach as a program in a student’s life. I barely see much talk of it, and was actually referred by a faculty member to join. Because of this lack of awareness, I want to make sure all students can see that there is a program that will provide a variety of ways for you to engage locally while also meeting new people and going to new places.
