SBU’s Academy of Civic Life Prepares Local Students for College and Beyond

A cohort of 17 Brentwood High School students took part in Stony Brook University's Academy of Civic Life summer program. Photos by John Griffin.

The Academy of Civic Life (ACL) is a pre-college program at Stony Brook University that addresses issues of inequity in access to higher education while preparing students from financially disadvantaged households and underrepresented backgrounds to excel in college and beyond.

This summer, Stony Brook hosted a cohort of 17 Brentwood High School students for three weeks of courses in civics, democracy, and activism. A luncheon celebrating the completion of the residency portion of the program was held in late July, and the students were recognized as Junior Human Rights Commissioners for Suffolk County.

"This is our third summer doing this and I couldn't be more impressed with this group of students and the undergraduate student TAs who have led and mentored them," said Amy Cook, a professor in the Department of English and vice provost for Academic Affairs. "They have completed the summer ACL residency and will now prepare for the academic year portion where they will receive guidance on college applications and will complete a civic engagement project. These students have amazed me all the way along and I am thrilled and excited to see what they have learned here."

Funded by the Teagle Foundation, ACL provides classroom work and hands-on experiences for students who see themselves as scholars, who will shape the futures of their community, and be empowered and engaged members of their communities. Throughout the three-week program, the students worked closely with undergraduate teaching assistants who offered academic support and mentorship, helping them adapt to the rigorous intellectual work of the college classroom and navigate the challenges of the application process. Workshops taught students strategies for successfully navigating college life, covering topics like time management, coping with stress, and maintaining a healthy work/school/social life balance.

Students took a one-credit college course, Academy of Civic Life, taught by ACL faculty director Tracey Walters, a professor of literature and former chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Stony Brook, where she also holds an affiliate appointment with the Department of English. Students read classic and contemporary texts about the history of civics, politics, labor, and democracy and interacted with written, film, and audio materials that told essential pieces of the history of democracy.

The 2024 Academy of Civic Life luncheon celebrated Brentwood High School students' completion of the residency portion of the program and their induction as Junior Human Rights Commissioners for Suffolk County.

Students worked to develop the reading and writing skills that will help them succeed in college and beyond, and were encouraged to tackle the challenging philosophical and political texts, putting them in conversation with contemporary writers and current events. Students then added their voices and perspectives to discussions and debates about democracy and politics.

"This is the third year that I have served in this capacity, and with each year the experience just gets richer," said Walters. "I am so very impressed with the level of work that you have produced and your professionalism in the classroom. These young people came to class every day on time and prepared. They participated with enthusiasm and really made it a wonderful learning experience. I learn from them as much as they learn from me."

At the luncheon, student emcees delivered their own presidential inaugural addresses created and inspired by their unique personal concerns. They also described their experience in the ACL program.

"We learned many things throughout this program," said Knoa Pettus, one of the student emcees. "Some were practical, some educational, and some eye-opening, but all impactful."

"We learned a lot in this academy," said Karla Rivera. "And we're going to be using what we learned for civic engagement projects throughout the senior year. My commitment to civic engagement will be volunteering and the Academy definitely improved my social skills."

"I gained a lot from the enlightening class discussions, but I'll be ready to inform myself and the people that are around me of things that are going on in the world as well as things that we can do to impact that," added student Dane Paul. "My commitment to civic engagement is driven by a desire to contribute positively to my community in Brentwood, and to make a difference."

Parents took pride in the growth and social awareness of their children, who will begin their senior year of high school.

"When we found out about the program, we were really excited because we knew that our daughter's interests lie in philosophy and civic engagement and things of that nature," said Ke Pettus, father of Knoa Pettus and an alumnus of the Masters of Social Work (MSW) program at Stony Brook. "We knew that once she got on campus that these professors and this faculty would take good care of her. We trust this school, this is our home. And we're excited for what's to come."

"She was so excited about the programs and I was really happy about that," added Nicole Pettus, Knoa's mother and also a Stony Brook MSW program alum. "She really stepped out of her comfort zone. She loves to write but I never expected her to do public speaking. We were so proud."

"It's been a privilege to watch these students build, forge and solidify connections in all sorts of ways over the past couple of weeks," said Elizabeth Bojsza, an assistant professor of practice, School of Communication and Journalism, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science®, and program director of the ACL, as she addressed the program graduates. "You made connections with each other, and you made connections between your ideas and the ideas that you were reading about from these authors. Now you are making connections between the things that you learned in a supportive learning community that you helped create and your own community. And that's what today is about. It's about bridging the permeable boundaries of class and learning community out into our living communities and making a difference where we are."

- Robert Emproto

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