In the Spring of 2023 semester, I volunteered with the Village at Ithaca, a center in downtown Ithaca that serves as a place of safety and creativity for primarily students of color in the Ithaca community. In the Spring, I primarily worked on two projects with the students of the Village: the first was the Loitering Project, in which we tackled the issue of loitering signs in Ithaca targeting people of color. We assisted the students in creating QR code stickers that linked to a website they designed with information on loitering signs and how they connect to systemic racism in their placement and use. For individual service, I volunteered virtually to help scientists collect data on biodiversity taken from microscopic pictures. This semester, I am still volunteering at the Village, as well as with Zero Waste Ithaca, a group dedicated to cleaning up Ithaca’s natural spaces and promoting a zero-waste culture. Additionally, I am spending my time writing the scripts for several student short films this semester, working towards my goal of working with directors to create scripts that match their creative vision.
Maddie Jaffe
