Stories from the Field

Did you know? The very first HECUA program, offered in 1968, was called the "Crisis Colony."   During a period of intense national unrest, grief, anger, and upheaval following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., thirty Crisis Colony students lived together in a vacated Jewish synagogue in North Minneapolis, learning from community members, Dr. Torstenson, and each other.   Read More »

Welcome to HECUA’s Alumni Profile series. Each month we’ll catch up with a HECUA alumni, and see how their time in a HECUA classroom influenced their career goals, their life in the community, and their pursuit of continued education. If you or a friend would like to participate in this series, please email lohmans@hecua.org. This month […] Read More »

Welcome to HECUA’s Alumni Profile series. Each month we’ll catch up with a HECUA alumni, and see how their time in a HECUA classroom influenced their career goals, their life in the community, and their pursuit of continued education. If you or a friend would like to participate in this series, please email lohmans@hecua.org. This month […] Read More »

When I signed up for HECUA-Metro Urban Studies Term (now Inequality in America) in 2012, I was hoping to learn how to put my passion for equity in education into action. The notion of praxis HECUA taught me—the idea that I can put social justice values into action through my work—is something I now use daily as a curriculum consultant and writer, helping organizations design their English language arts, English as a Second Language, and social studies courses. Read More »

Every semester, one student from each HECUA program takes on the role of student blogger, sending regular dispatches from the field. Syd Stratman will be HECUA’s student blogger for the Making Media, Making Change program this spring semester. Syd is a senior at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture […] Read More »

This program made me more aware of how much I don’t know about the indigenous people who lived on the land that I now live on, and how important it is to learn about indigenous rights in the United States. Going abroad made me more independent and confident, and gave me life-long friends and memories. Read More »

Each semester, one student from each HECUA program abroad takes on the role of student blogger, sending regular dispatches from the field. Becca Carcaterra will be HECUA’s student blogger for the Northern Ireland program this spring semester. Becca is a senior at St. Olaf College, majoring in English with a Race and Ethnic Studies concentration. Read on […] Read More »

For the past month, I have been working at my internship site, Conscious Consumers, three days a week. At this internship I was lucky enough to help them with their launch in the UK. At this internship I was able to gain marketing, communication, and sales experience while seeing what it would like to work at a small organization with a sustainable mission. Read More »

It was my learning in HECUA that showed me I do have a lot to gain from academic spaces – that is, if they are working to excavate truth, as opposed to reinforcing the colonial mindset that our world is saturated in. Read More »

Emily found the program’s breadth to be particularly helpful as she considered future career paths. “It really helped me get a sense of job landscape, because I got to see a number of people working to support local food systems from a variety of angles.” As the program drew to a close, she asked herself, “How can I be one of those rad people working with food in Minnesota?” Read More »