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With their first semester at Hamilton now completed, members of the Class of 2028 took a moment to look back.

Hamilton’s Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP) connects Hamilton students and employees with nonprofit agencies in Clinton, Utica, Rome, and beyond. Through 14+ direct service programs, students create positive change while developing close and enduring relationships with local communities.

Amy James, director of community outreach for COOP, was honored with the "Campus Angel" award from On Point for College at its annual Utica celebration on Nov. 14. COOP offers community service opportunities, connecting Hamilton students and employees with Oneida County nonprofit agencies - creating positive change for our community partners as well as educational experiences for our students.

At Hamilton, active citizenship is demonstrated in many ways. We talked to several students and young alumni who explain how they discovered an interest at Hamilton that led them to take action to create social change, and have a positive impact on society.

Members of Hamilton’s Class of 2024 have walked off the Commencement stage, canes in hand, and out into the world ready to make a difference.

Students kept busy as they wrapped up the fall semester and over winter break. Read about what some of them did.

As a child, Pyu Pyu Win ’24 and her family immigrated to the United States from Myanmar. They stopped in Illinois and Indiana before settling in Utica, N.Y., where The Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program (YSLPP), a collaborative project established between Utica University and the Utica City School District, helped Win navigate her education and ultimately become a Hamilton student.

As long as she has been a student at Hamilton, Mary Hurner ’24 has been passionate about building community both on and off the Hill, and this summer was no exception. Hurner was recently recognized as an inaugural awardee of the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship. The scholarship granted her a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a self-designed work-travel experience.

Nine students spent part of their winter break teaming up with Maxwell Akuamoah-Boateng ’09 on a community service project in Philadelphia. Akuamoah-Boateng, who serves as the city’s director of operations for community schools, organized the Alternate Break (AXB) trip that focused on youth engagement/urban service.

Mary Hurner ’24, a public policy major from Heber City, Utah, is among the first recipients of the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship.