Undergraduate Fellows
CURL Undergraduate Fellowships are intended to facilitate involvement of students in collaborative research projects with community-based organizations, social service agencies, health care providers, businesses, and government in Chicago's city and suburbs. Through their research and learning projects, fellows are active participants in Loyola University's efforts to improve the quality of life of all members of the Chicago metropolitan community. Involvement in the work of CURL can help students develop a foundation for future graduate programs, community development, or volunteer service.
CURL Undergraduate Fellows earn an hourly wage of $13 per hour for approximately 10 hours per week. Most fellows work with CURL Graduate Fellows, CURL staff, community leaders, and Loyola faculty on one of CURL’s university-community team research projects. CURL uses a collaborative research model that involves community members at all stages of the research, with the intention of both building community voice in the research process and increasing community capacity to complete research on a variety of issues.
The list below gives you a quick overview of the students and their majors. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of CURL’s work, the fellows represent majors in many different departments or schools. More information about the project on which the student is working, as well as what drew them to CURL and what they hope to gain from their CURL experience can be found by clicking on the student’s name.
Apply for an Undergraduate Fellowship
Current Undergraduate Fellows
Profile
Sean Cunnane
What attracted me to CURL: I was attracted to the opportunity to engage with different community groups throughout Chicago and to work firsthand to promote equity within our city. What I hope to learn from CURL: I am excited to learn not only the technical skills required for community research and engagement but also to engage with people in different fields and of different backgrounds in order to develop a more cohesive view of Chicago and its array of communities.
Profile
Asia Lam
What attracted me to CURL: As a Chicago native, what attracted me to CURL was the amount of vital work they do with community partners all over the city. I am eager to be involved in helping facilitate positive outcomes for those impacted by systemic issues they encounter in the city. What I hope to learn from CURL: With my time at CURL, I hope to learn how to improve my research skills so I can take these skills with me into my future career. I also want to learn more about the struggles people face all over the city, and how the community responds in an effort to combat these issues. In addition, I would like to be able to be part of the process in how to effectively find solutions to uplift the community.
Profile
Alex Miranda
What attracted me to CURL: Having grown up in Chicago, I was attracted to the research that CURL is organizing that promotes equity for underrepresented communities in my own city. The emphasis on partnering with community organizations who know their neighbors best is very important to me. What I hope to learn from CURL: I hope to be able to find a way to combine my passions, as well as contribute my knowledge of community health through social research in order to identify the best ways for organizations to reach underfunded and underrepresented Chicago communities.
Profile
Mike Reda
What attracted me to CURL: As an activist and grassroots political organizer, I was attracted to CURL’s commitment to building community partnerships and providing opportunities for Loyola students to connect our classroom education with the real-world challenges Chicagoans face every day. These are systemic problems that require systemic solutions from leaders who can synthesize academic theory with street-level reality. What I hope to learn from CURL: As a young and working-class person, I was inspired to run for local office to give a voice to other people like me, and I plan on using my education at Loyola to win many more elections in the future. At CURL, I hope to learn about how academic researchers and community leaders can use collaborative research to gain a deeper understanding of complex issues, and how inclusion and restorative justice can be used to improve the lives of people in Chicago and around the world.
Profile
Ava Savelkoul
What attracted me to CURL: What attracted me to CURL was the opportunity to use my interests in sociology, law, and political science to create positive change in Chicago. I am excited to work with community partners and activists to address the systemic issues affecting this city. What I hope to learn from CURL: I hope to gain insight from everyone we work with about improving material conditions and uplifting our community. Additionally, I can't wait to improve my research and data analysis skills.
Profile
Mia Sedory
What attracted me to CURL: I believe in the power of research and its ability to connect. I believe that research is a core pillar of social change. I believe that CURL is a facilitator of this change, and as an activist and advocate for social justice I was drawn to CURL’s mission to support and uplift the communities around them through research it. What I hope to learn from CURL: I hope that through my time at CURL I not only learn research skills that I can use in college and in my career, but also how to collaborate with community partners in their efforts to make a positive impact on the community. I hope to learn more about the systemic issues facing these communities, and how to better serve them.
CURL Undergraduate Fellowships are intended to facilitate involvement of students in collaborative research projects with community-based organizations, social service agencies, health care providers, businesses, and government in Chicago's city and suburbs. Through their research and learning projects, fellows are active participants in Loyola University's efforts to improve the quality of life of all members of the Chicago metropolitan community. Involvement in the work of CURL can help students develop a foundation for future graduate programs, community development, or volunteer service.
CURL Undergraduate Fellows earn an hourly wage of $13 per hour for approximately 10 hours per week. Most fellows work with CURL Graduate Fellows, CURL staff, community leaders, and Loyola faculty on one of CURL’s university-community team research projects. CURL uses a collaborative research model that involves community members at all stages of the research, with the intention of both building community voice in the research process and increasing community capacity to complete research on a variety of issues.
The list below gives you a quick overview of the students and their majors. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of CURL’s work, the fellows represent majors in many different departments or schools. More information about the project on which the student is working, as well as what drew them to CURL and what they hope to gain from their CURL experience can be found by clicking on the student’s name.
Apply for an Undergraduate Fellowship