All CLDR Certificate and Master’s students undertake a short-term partnership project in the Introduction to Community Leadership course and a full-semester partnership project Community Leadership Capstone course. A student’s Capstone Course accomplishments are effective barometers of their growth in knowledge, skills, and affective competencies and related achievement of graduate-level proficiency in the program’s learning outcomes. Below are the 2026 Capstone Projects, which students describe in their own words.
Victoria Merab Akinyi
My project is situated at the center of two interconnected communities: the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) community, specifically its faculty, staff, and alumni, and a network of partner schools and youth-serving organizations in the Baltimore area.
UMBC is an institution strongly committed to civic engagement, public purpose, and community partnerships. While students’ engagement in community-based work is well established through service learning and internship pathways, faculty, staff, and alumni represent an additional layer of engagement that is less formally structured. Collectively, these groups hold a wealth of knowledge, professional expertise, lived experience, and networks that can contribute meaningfully to community-based learning environments.
The George and Betsy Sherman Center partners with schools and community organizations that are already doing important, sustained work alongside children, youth, and families. These spaces are rich with existing strengths: young people bring curiosity, creativity, and aspiration to contribute cultural knowledge, resilience, and care; community organizations provide trusted relationships, leadership, and continuity. These ecosystems are not defined by lack, but by depth of relationships and potential already present. Simultaneously, many UMBC faculty, staff, and alumni express a desire to engage more deeply with surrounding communities in meaningful, relational ways aligned with their values. However, without clear and coordinated pathways, these intentions often remain unrealized or take the form of short-term or informal engagement.
The opportunity, therefore, lies in intentionally connecting these existing strengths. On one side, there is a community of individuals with knowledge, experience, and a willingness to engage. On the other hand, there are established community organizations and clearing spaces that value relationship-building and are open to meaningful collaboration. What is needed is a structure that thoughtfully aligns these groups, supports them, and responds to them.
The Sherman UMBC Volunteer Staff, Alumni, and Faculty Partner program is designed to serve as the bridge. Rather than positioning faculty, staff, and alumni as external helpers, the program frames them as partners and co-educators who contribute to already vibrant community ecosystems. Through a structured matching process, participants select organizations they prefer to work with and are connected with based on shared interests, strengths, and availability. Community organizations lead the engagement process, providing orientation, guidance, and contact, while volunteers focus on building consistent, respectful relationships with students and families.
Engagement within this model can take many forms, including mentoring, tutoring, facilitating conversations around career pathways, supporting workshops, or participating in community events. These opportunities are designed to be flexible yet structured, recognizing the realities of participants’ schedules while prioritizing consistency and relationship building. Importantly, this initiative is grounded in the principle of mutual impact. Engagement is not understood as one-directional service, but as a shared experience that creates value for all involved. Faculty, staff, and alumni gain opportunities for reflection, connections, and growth, while students benefit from expanded networks and exposure to diverse perspectives. Community organizations, in turn, are supported in ways that align with existing work and priorities.
This work is really about mobilizing and connecting social capital to strengthen relationships and expand possibilities. By building international pathways between UMBC and partner communities, the Program contributes to a more connected, collaborative, and asset-based approach to community engagement.
Alex Ballard
In this project, I used a combination of technical, relational, and design-based methods to develop a community-facing product for MS Aquatics, a therapeutic swim program at the Catonsville YMCA designed to help individuals with MS remain physically active in a safe and supportive environment.
The goal was not only to produce a final deliverable, but also to ensure that the process was collaborative, ethical, and responsive. A key part of the process involved collecting video footage of MS Aquatics sessions. Before filming, I obtained consent from clients, directors, and volunteers. I also scheduled filming to avoid disrupting normal programming.
From a technical standpoint, I drew on skills from my Digital Storytelling course, including videography and narrative structure. I used a tripod for stability and edited footage using WeVideo to create a cohesive final product. I also developed a website using Google Sites. This included designing a clear structure with a landing page, an “About the Program” section, waiver information, and an embedded video. The site also included an RSVP feature for communication with MS Aquatics leadership.
Beyond technical tools, I relied heavily on relational methods developed through my Community Leadership methods course and community-engaged practice. This included active listening, flexibility, and responsiveness to feedback from MS Aquatics leadership and volunteers. I also practiced humility and vulnerability by recognizing that I am not the primary expert on lived experience with MS. Instead, I prioritized learning from participants and adjusting the project based on their input when needed.
Overall, these methods combined technical production skills with relational practices to support both the deliverable and the partnership itself. The final product includes an updated flyer with a QR code that directs users to a website. The website serves as the central hub for program information. It includes waiver information, a video introduction to the program, and an RSVP feature that sends attendance information directly to MS Aquatics directors. The project developed from a general outreach idea into a multi-platform communication system designed to improve visibility and accessibility.
Sherrie Downs
The Vendor Partnership project was inspired by annoying valuable conversations with our vendors, who shared their experiences navigating different protocols, processes, and delivery expectations across schools.
To strengthen collaboration and ensure consistency, we recognized the need for a unified approach, one that clearly defines expectations for both schools and vendors while supporting successful outcomes and effective implementation.
In response, we are introducing a Vendor Partner video as a foundational resources for all vendors. This required video will provide clear, consistent guidance on system-wide expectations, helping to align practices, streamline communication, and foster stronger partnerships. The goal is that our vendors turn into partners over time.
By establishing a shared understanding from the outset, we aim to create a more cohesive, efficient, and supportive experience for every vendor working within our school system.
Casey Knox
Chrysalis House, a residential recovery center in Maryland, allows women to bring their children with them during treatment. By removing the barrier of separation, the organization creates a more accessible and supportive pathway to recovery. In addition, Chrysalis House exclusively serves individuals covered by Medicaid, ensuring that treatment is available to those who may not otherwise have the financial means to access care. This dual commitment to accessibility and family-centered care positions the organization as a critical resource within its community.
Beyond its structural approach, Chrysalis House demonstrates a strong commitment to dignity and empowerment in its philosophy and language. The organization refers to those it serves as “clients” rather than “patients,” reflecting a belief in individuals as active participants in their own growth and recovery. This perspective aligns with broader strengths-based and asset-based approaches in community leadership, which emphasize the importance of recognizing and building upon existing capacities rather than focusing solely on deficits.
Despite the strength of its mission and programs, like many community-based organizations, Chrysalis House faces operational challenges that can impact its overall capacity. One such challenge is the management and organization of internal data, which plays an essential role in tracking outcomes, supporting funding efforts, and informing decision-making. At the time of this project’s development, the organization reported a significant backlog in data entry, creating both immediate and long-term challenges for efficiency and effectiveness.
Data backlog affects the organization’s ability to produce up-to-date reports required for compliance, limits real-time understanding of client progress, and increases the administrative burden on staff. As a result, time that could be spent supporting clients or enhancing programming must be redirected toward resolving data inconsistencies and updating records retroactively. In addition, delays in data entry can make it more difficult to identify emerging trends in client needs, which can slow program adjustments and reduce responsiveness to changing circumstances within the community.
This project was developed in response to that need, with the goal of supporting Chrysalis House in reducing its existing data backlog while also exploring sustainable solutions to improve future data processes. By addressing these issues, the project seeks to strengthen the organization’s overall capacity, ultimately allowing staff to focus more fully on their primary mission to empower women and families in recovery.
Cathy Myers
The Maryland SPCA has a strong infrastructure and deep community connections forged through many decades and service and collaboration. Its assets include a highly skilled and interdisciplinary staff, including but not limited to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, behavioral specialists, trainers, and educators. Everyone supports pet health, adoption, and community outreach. The shelter facility itself is also a significant infrastructure asset for the pet community. Its multi-building complex offers spaces for medical care, adoption, and quarantine, including a dedicated ringworm treatment trailer that allows the shelter to treat conditions that many other shelters nationwide cannot accommodate. In addition, the shelter has strong partnerships within the Baltimore community with programs such as low-cost veterinary services, educational initiatives, and collaborations like Kibble Connection, a pet food service that supports pet owners experiencing financial hardship.
Volunteers and fosters extend the organization’s actual physical capacity by providing in-home care that creates much-needed extra space within the shelter for additional cats and dogs. This capacity is further supported through partnerships with other animal welfare organizations, both within the state and across the country. These collaborations allow for coordinated animal transports between shelters, with volunteers transporting cats and dogs between shelters for adoption opportunities or medical care.
My own contributions are aligned with the shelter’s asset-based framework. I bring experience in project management, writing, data organization, and storytelling, along with several years of direct involvement as a feline foster. My fostering experience provides practical knowledge of pet care, while my professional knowledge allows me to support organizational processes, such as developing tracking systems, timelines, and communication materials. For example, with my capstone project I used tools such as spreadsheets to design project management systems that will help track timelines and resource distribution. These skills complement the existing strengths of the shelter by promoting and supporting efficiency, organization, and communication across its various teams.
During my conversations with Maryland SPCA’s Foster Coordinators, I learned that while the shelter has many strengths, it still faces several needs and challenges. These include securing sufficient funding, expanding the foster network, increasing community awareness of available services, and supporting specific pet populations that are more difficult to place in foster homes such as larger dogs and elderly pets. Rather than viewing these needs as deficits, I now see them as opportunities to restructure existing assets. For example, the organization’s strong volunteer base and community partnerships can be used to expand its outreach efforts and recruit new fosters. Similarly, existing educational programs can be used to increase awareness about responsible pet ownership and available community resources.
Central to this process is a commitment to building authentic, reciprocal relationships. My work with the Maryland SPCA is grounded in ongoing collaboration with foster coordinators, other professional staff members, and fellow volunteers. Through these relationships, I gain a deeper understanding of the shelter’s priorities and the lived experiences of those involved in pet care. This approach also creates space for our shared learning and mutual contribution, ensuring that any solutions developed are informed by all stakeholders who are closely connected to the work and support the goals.
Ultimately, my capstone project drew on both organizational and personal assets to address identified needs in a sustainable and community-centered way. By combining my skills in project management and data organization with the shelter’s existing infrastructure and community networks, I aimed to support its systems that enhance efficiency and strengthen engagement. My partnership led to the development tools and processes that can help the shelter better coordinate its Volunteer Challenge Campaign and track outcomes over time. The focus remains on what is already working well while thoughtfully addressing areas for growth, improvement, and innovation.
Marco Preiner
This paper documents my CLDR 603 community partnership with Eastern United Methodist Church (Eastern UMC) and the deliverables we produced for Summer 2026. The Summer Arts Program is a three-week safe summer space for K–12 youth that combines arts learning, caring adult support, and a family-facing showcase. Through the partnership, I also learned the program operates as a hybrid site: it is a Baltimore City YouthWorks worksite experience for paid youth workers, and it is co-located with a City-supported “nutrition program” site that helps feed youth at no cost (Baltimore City YouthWorks; Carrington).
My professional background in policy work shapes how I approach community projects. I value clarity, repeatability, and tools that reduce burden on frontline staff. In this partnership, that bias was useful because the program already works; it did not need to be “fixed.” The more important move was listening for what already worked and then building one small structure that helps the program run consistently, even when summer is not tidy. My growth edge was learning when to stop building or theorizing. Community work doesn’t reward the biggest document; it rewards the tool that gets used. The partnership became a process of simplification, not expansion.
This project was shaped by a few core course ideas that kept me grounded and prevented the deliverables from becoming unrealistic. Asset-based community development (ABCD) encouraged starting with what the partner already has: routines, relationships, space, volunteers, and City partnerships. Rather than starting with deficits. Emergent strategy reinforced that meaningful change often comes from small structures practiced consistently. That aligned with building a covenant routine and a youth voice loop that can be repeated year after year.
Trauma-informed, healing-centered leadership helped name why “safe space” has to be operational, not symbolic. If community trauma shows up as anger, stress, and distrust, then culture tools, de-escalation, and inclusion practices become part of public health, especially for kids. Finally, the course’s focus on power and partnership ethics reminded me that partnerships can become extractive if students over-claim ownership or treat communities as “data sources.” The process is treated as part of the product: the way the toolkit was built and the constraints under which it was built matter just as much as the toolkit itself.
The final deliverable is a Camp Covenant & Youth Voice Toolkit that reflects a core lesson of CLDR 603: community leadership is a practice, not a position. Leadership here looked like listening, translating values into routines, and designing for real conditions. The covenant and youth voice loop are small by design, but they support culture, safety, and continuous improvement across years.