Campus CELebration Showcases Community Projects
Students share real-world experiences gained from community-engaged learning and the impact on Middlesex County.
Middlesex College students with a community-first mindset gathered on campus to share their experiences during the CELebration of Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Projects.
Any student can sign up for a CEL course, which combines traditional classroom learning with a partnership with a local community organization. Working with the organization on a project provides students with real-world experience and a rewarding way to learn about topics outside the standard classroom environment.
“During the Spring semester, I was able to learn more about poverty and gender equality,” said Tatiyania West, who is majoring in human social services and took a Contemporary Social Problems CEL course. “I was also able to give a presentation about our food pantry here on campus to an English class.”
Kimberly Silverio Diaz, the coordinator for Civic Engagement and Experimental Learning, led the informal conversation about the students’ work on their CEL projects. She said she is always impressed with students’ desires to give back to their local communities.
“Especially because a lot of our partnerships are outside of campus and we know that students can have challenges with transportation,” Silverio Diaz said. “The feedback that we get back from many of them is that they want to keep going with these projects because they see an interest and a need. Students make wonderful connections.”
There were 15 CEL classes offered in Fall 2025 and eight in Spring 2026. This year’s community partners included:
- Women Aware: Domestic Violence Services
- New Brunswick Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition
- National Alliance for Mental Illness
- Perth Amboy Public Library
- Woodbridge History Museum
- Citizens Campaign for the Environment
- Perth Amboy Office on Aging
- Edison Hands of Hope
- Edison Animal Shelter
- Edison Alliance Center for Independence
The idea for the discussion—instead of individual student presentations—was for those who have taken CEL classes to give future students insights on time commitment and potential opportunities. Silverio Diaz showed pictures from the past year and shared stories of students making impacts on a grassroots level.
“When a student takes a CEL course, they usually sign up again,” said Silverio Diaz. “We also have students that were in CEL programs that are now Honors students in different programs. That’s why we wanted to get them to interact with each other—so they can learn from each other’s experience and share. I call it cross-pollination.”
Learn more about Community-Engaged Learning: https://middlesexcollege.edu/community-programs/community-engaged-learning/
