Angela Biron ’22

How have you been involved with civic engagement at Colby, and why is it important to you?

My first involvement with civic engagement at Colby was via Colby’s mentorship program, Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK). I have had so much fun building a relationship with my mentee over the years and being able to go to a local school once a week. Since my second year, I have been on the Mentor Leadership Committee for CCAK, so I have been able to help support the program as well.  One of my favorite aspects of the CCAK program is that the size of the program and invested participation of all its mentors collectively makes a huge impact on the surrounding communities, which I love being part of. In the past two years, I have been involved with Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area, a really incredible community organization that provides support to patients and families throughout end-of-life care. It is really important to me that families receive quality hospice care and support, so I am so happy to be part of that process. I also began a new student worker role with the Office of Civic Engagement during my senior year as a Pre-Health Liaison. I have been working with both the Office of Civic Engagement and Colby’s Pre-Health Advisor to bring civic engagement opportunities to pre-health students and promote meaningful engagement for these students through programming and creating resources.

How has civic engagement contributed to your learning and leadership development?

Participating in civic engagement while at Colby has given me a more holistic view of education and what it means to be a community member. It has also helped me create habits of building time into my schedule for civic engagement and the things I care about. Civic engagement has contributed to my development as a leader in that I do my best to lead with empathy and appreciation for those I am working with. I have gained so much more from my time at Colby because of my involvement with the broader community, including personal relationships, enriching experiences, and so much appreciation for the folks in the Waterville community.

What is something you have learned about yourself as a result of your civic engagement experiences?

I have learned that being active in my community is something I will always want to do wherever I go throughout my life. Perhaps most significantly, my experiences with hospice have solidified my interests in end-of-life care as something I want to pursue in a future career. I came to Colby knowing that I wanted to be pre-med and pursue some type of medicine in the future, but the personal and civic engagement experiences I have had with hospice have shown me that I love the field and want to be part of it. The experiences I have had so far will inform both my civic engagement and professional paths in the future.

Looking ahead, how do you imagine civic engagement will inform your personal goals and professional future?

My experiences at Colby have confirmed that civic engagement will always be a meaningful part of my life and will contribute to the fulfillment I hope to find throughout my career. The personal relationships and interpersonal skills that come from civic engagement experiences enrich my life in many ways and allow me to feel connected to a bigger community. With planning to enter the medical field, I know that the experiences I have had and continue to have with civic engagement in my communities will absolutely contribute to the approach I take with decisions and relationship-building in my professional future.