Buffalo Co-Lab advances an equitable economy and democratic community, collaboratively integrating scholarly and practical understanding to strengthen civic action.
High Road Fellows
Olivia Smith
"I am passionate about equality in the world, and have a specific interest in helping underserved groups of people. I chose to participate in this fellowship program because I want to make a difference in the world when I graduate, and this program helped show me what I can do in my community to make it a better place.”
“Growing up in upstate New York, I have been exposed to the glaring disparities in our community. The High Road Fellowship provided me with the initial skills and knowledge necessary to make an impact in upstate New York and my community. Although I’m not sure what I want to pursue after graduation, I hope to bring what I learned this summer into future positions in the workplace and continue to stay engaged in whatever community I end up.”
“After taking a class focused on community-based research, I knew that I wanted an opportunity to experience it. Growing up ‘near’ Buffalo (and being a huge Bills fan!), I am extremely excited to continue to learn what makes Buffalo Buffalo and to be shaped by those experiences in my future career.”
“Sustainability and justice are important to me and the High Road is exactly that. In addition, as someone from a community facing great inequality, I now have a greater understanding that nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations play a big role in the empowerment of those who are often left out of the conversation.”
“I decided to take the High Road because I wanted to gain exposure to research and learn about revitilization as it happens currently in Buffalo. I was able to become more familiar with the process of implementing programs and developing a network of resources for community members.”
“I grew up in the Buffalo area and have a lot of pride and affection for the city. I feel strongly that an equitable economic development approach is the best method to stimulate growth as well as benefit the people in the city.”
“Being a High Road Fellow allowed me to work closely with an impactful community organization to translate my Policy Analysis and Management education into positive change for an area that is close to my heart.”
“My fellowship at the Area Labor Federation informed my future career goals in labor organizing. I hope to make a difference in people’s lives through this work by helping communities build and exercise power over corporate actors that drive policies impacting working people and their many relevant identities, including class, race, gender, immigrant status, incarceration history, and more.”
“I decided to take the High Road this summer because I wanted to work with marginalized communities and help find solutions to their issues. I have never done research, or this kind of work, before and I wanted to challenge myself because that’s how you grow. This fellowship helped me become a better citizen, person, and professional who can take these skills and help even more communities.”
“This summer I was part of a movement to create affordable housing in the West Side of Buffalo. I am obviously a new and very small part of this movement, and thus I could not be what I ought to be in this movement without the past and present work of everyone else involved. The research I did will better inform PUSH’s efforts, so I’ll be helping everyone else do better work.”
“Growing up in Brooklyn, inequity is everywhere. I have long sought ways to end this divide and have learned a lot about economic justice through my education here at Cornell. My participation in the High Road has provide me a new, more sustainable method to work toward economic justice and hopefully given me the tools to apply those principles to my own neighborhood.”
“I think nonprofit work can be some of the most worthwhile and engaging work. You often get the opportunity to see changes you strive for actualized. My motivation for participating was to engage with nonprofits in a professional manner to explore possibilities for future work. I have always enjoyed my work with community development, and I wanted to see what people who work in that do day-to-day.”
“As someone who is interested in starting my own nonprofit to service my community, the High Road Fellowship seemed perfect. I’m participating because I want to understand the true impact that universal public good practices can have on a community and to be inspired on ways that I can implement those practices and standards into my nonprofit organization in the future.”
“I decided to participate in the fellowship program this summer because I’ve had experiences in the financial services sector and social advocacy organizations, but wanted to intertwine my interests and make tangible impact through finance for communities like mine that need it most.”
“I decided to take the High Road this summer as a way to get involved with community based organizations with engaged partnerships. I was looking to participate in hands on activities as well as learn more about non-profit work in large communities.”
Buffalo is indeed on the up & up. It was wonderful seeing the revitalization of the city and feel the energy and optimism the people of Buffalo are carrying.
I’m grateful that my High Road Fellowship has given me the opportunity to have meaningful conversations both with my interviewees and the community leaders who speak with us every Friday on subjects as diverse as education policy, workforce training, historical restoration, and economic development.
By working on 43North’s competition operations, I helped find new companies that will make a positive impact in the Buffalo Niagara region through job creation and wealth generation.
The passion that these people bring to the table is what empowers our staff to be advocates for Buffalo students, allowing Say Yes to be successful, but also can cause a certain degree of friction between some individuals.
