Gerald R Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service

Of course, we should all pick up trash, recycle paper and conserve electricity. But environmental activists know that real change lies in the hands of politicians, policymakers and the people who elect, educate and support them. Read about three Ford Institute students who share unique views of environmental policy action in Michigan, via three very different summer experiences.

My job was to cry. I was to go up to the nearest foreign service officer and start bawling uncontrollably about my dying brother in the United States who I had to see just one last time. The officer’s job? To decide whether or not to approve my visa.

Earlier this summer, 12 Albion College students and two staff members attended the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders at the University of Maryland, College Park. The conference, organized by the national office of the American Association of University Women, has a legacy of more than 30 years and annual attendance of about 1,000 participants from around the country and world.

“Working in Senator Gary Peters’ office in Washington, D.C., has given me quite a few odd stories,” writes Nick Panourgias, ’17, about his fall-semester Ford Institute internship. “My favorite happened just two weeks into my internship. I lost my cell phone going to a briefing on the tram that connects Senate buildings. When the car I was riding in came back, Senator Barbara Boxer was in it.”

Sydney Roeder, ’17, was able to tap into her passion for the Middle East thanks to the Kim Tunnicliff Endowment and studied for an academic year in Jordan. While there, she began learning Arabic and helped develop projects like a model farm and hiking trails. She recently made a campus presentation of her work and made it clear her job has just begun.

“When I first heard that there was a 16-year-old autistic race car driver, I was amazed,” says Queana Langston, ’18, whose recent Ford Institute internship was inspired by the story of driver Armani Williams. Langston first learned about Williams and the Race4Autism Foundation through her uncle, who was hired to shoot a documentary about the nonprofit. “I wanted to work there out of the goodness of my heart,” Langston says, realizing later that an internship would both benefit her Albion studies and allow her to apply certain skills on behalf of the foundation’s goals.

A renovated downtown Albion building that will serve as a hub for interaction between Albion College, the City of Albion and the region will be named The Ludington Center. The Ludingtons, a Midland-based family, have had a strong interest in the Albion community as well as a distinguished history at the College.

Six Albion College students and one staff member attended the recent National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL), hosted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) at the University of Maryland, College Park. The three-day conference June 2-4 included keynote speakers, personal development workshops, a Women of Distinction awards ceremony, career and graduate school fairs, and an evening to explore Washington, D.C.

In the current supercharged red vs. blue political climate, color Albion College students a calm shade of purple. At least that’s according to Collegestats.org, which analyzed 2.4 million tweets originating on or near college campuses across the country to determine Republican and Democratic leanings. Albion ranked No. 2 in tweets using Democrat keywords and No. 9 using Republican keywords, prompting the site to conclude that “Albion College can easily boast the most diverse set of politically engaged students on social media.”

A project that was months in the making came together April 5-6 on campus as a celebration of Canada, Canadians and the intricate, sometimes complicated, relationship America has with its northern neighbors.