Abi Whitford: Working to Improve the Communities Around Her
Whitford, a sophomore education major, participates in the Alma College Community Engagement (ACE) scholar program, which is designed for students who are from Gratiot, Isabella and Montcalm counties. The ACE scholar program aims to foster a sense of belonging, while encouraging student reflection about civic responsibility as a form of vocational exploration, as well as create a sustainable relationship between Alma College and local community partners.
Through the ACE scholar program, Whitford is a regular volunteer with the Dream Works Resale Shoppe, a nonprofit consignment shop in Ithaca that is dedicated to providing social, recreational and vocational opportunities for disabled people.
However, Whitford’s desire to help others doesn’t end at the Gratiot County line. She has participated in several Alternative Breaks during her time at Alma College, using time away from class to travel with classmates and help others in need. Some notable trips during her time in Alternative Breaks have been to North Carolina, where she assisted with cleanup necessitated by Hurricane Florence, and to Texas, where she helped out following Hurricane Laura.
“The ACE scholarship program has given me so many opportunities to contribute to my community and beyond,” Whitford said. “I never realized how much I could venture out in this way. In one instance, I’m seeing places and doing things that I never thought I could ever be doing — going down South and helping people who have suffered through something that we never deal with in Michigan.
“In another, I’m helping the community where I live. I’m making friends with people who live 15 minutes away from campus and I’m able to see the impact that my work has, every single day. It’s a really interesting, unique program for college students, and I think everyone in this area should be aware of it.”
Whitford is the daughter of two teachers and Alma College graduates, Kent ’06 and Jennifer Whitford ’99. When she graduates, she hopes to become an elementary school teacher — and believes Alma College has trained her well for that career.
“Our education department is incomparable to any other school,” Whitford said. “I feel like our professors care so much about us, and we can go to them whenever we have an issue. We receive opportunities to gain real experience in the field and work with all kinds of students. It’s a really wonderful program.”
Volunteering and education don’t leave a lot of room on Whitford’s calendar, she says, but she has still found time to get involved in the Gamma Phi Beta sorority (“I never saw myself joining a sorority before I came to college, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says) and as an actor with the theatre honorary, Alpha Psi Omega.
Making friends at Alma has been easy, she says, thanks to the many opportunities students have to get involved in organizations and in their communities.
“People get to know you and you get to know them. You feel understood and you learn a lot at the same time,” Whitford said. “It’s been an amazing experience.”