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Letter from the Initiative Managers

This was a unique and fulfilling year for Engage Dallas. It was a year of trying new things, building new partnerships, and evaluating our strengths and weaknesses. It was a year of innovation, connection, challenges, and meaningful growth.

Our program’s challenge to “think big and do good” has shaped our year in many ways. Our students are great at thinking big, and we were able to make many of their ideas a reality. You’ll see those stories threaded throughout this overview. And through those big dreams, we were able to do much good alongside the incredible partner organizations who are serving and impacting our city each day.

This year’s review is structured by the seasons, because even though the programming and the activities change, the goal remains the same:

In every season, think big and do good.

Kallie Terrana

Associate Director of High-Impact Practices

Cheyenne Murray Associate Director of SCIE

ENGAGE DALLAS THROUGH THE SEASONS

Summer

Fall

Winter

Spring

Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. The initiative is a long-term, university-wide commitment led by students to partner with local residents, organizations, and other leaders to positively impact the community. There is equal emphasis on campus and community impact stemming from the initiative.

MEET THE STAFF

Student Directors

Ailsa McCollom

MoMac

Commons

Arushi Tripathy Loyd Commons

Bailey Kamau

Boaz

Commons

Alex Chen Armstrong Commons

Katelyn McDonald

McElvaney

Commons

Johnny Kuang

Kathy Crow

Commons

Margaret Turpel

MHPS Commons

Leticia Cantu Crum Commons

MEET THE STAFF

Kyla Morris Ware Commons

Alexis Stus CockrellMcIntosh Commons

Area Coordinators

Manasvi Kanneganti

North Area

Kate Alonzo Southeast Area

Benjamin Liu

Upper Division Housing

Program Assistants

Thando Moya

Hannah Green

internships

In partnership with the Hegi Family Career Development Center, we provided summer interns for: of our community partner organizations!

“The Engage Dallas internship is a wonderful, immersive opportunity for SMU students to work alongside incredible organizations that serve the Dallas community. I am so grateful for the time I spent during my internship at Brother Bill’s Helping Hand I was able to practice both soft and hard skills that I will take with me post-grad. This internship program was a pivotal part of my time at SMU and I highly recommend all students to apply and get ready to serve!”

Melanie Verdi Brother Bill’s Helping Hand Non-Profit Intern

STAMPEDE DAY OF SERVICE

Almost 60% of participants served with Engage Dallas again throughout the academic year!

Community Partner Sites:

On October 10 , Engage Dallas hosted the annual fall day of service, #1Day4Dallas. th

Number of Volunteers:

Total number of volunteer hours:

How did serving at #1Day4Dallas impact you?

“Being able to see how multiplied by makes a

a great number of people large impact small actions

for a community with need was very empowering to see.”

Common curriculum reading

In both the fall and spring semesters, a new experience was offered through our partnership with the Office of General Education. Students had the opportunity to participate in a common curriculum reading group.

Throughout the semester, they gathered to discuss and learn together about “Infectious Generosity.” These cohorts also volunteered together with Engage Dallas community partners, providing students with a unique opportunity to earn their community engagement proficiency.

This year’s Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium, themed “Thriving Together: A Place-Based Approach to Combating Isolation through Connected Communities,” brought together more than 90 campus and community partners for a two-day experience focused on connection and collaboration.

Over two days, participants explored how intentional, place-based engagement can build stronger, more connected communities. Centered on relationships, collaboration, and local context, the symposium highlighted practical ways to address social isolation while strengthening ties between the university, the city, local organizations, and the communities they serve.

engage dallas bUS TOUR

23 participants

115 general engagement hours earned

“It changed my view of Dallas because I witnessed greater poverty and less resources for people to access, including education. When we stopped off at a community farm in Joppa, the southern part of Dallas, the air did not smell good and the town itself is situated right next to an industrial site... It was inspiring to see a successful farm [Joppy Mommas Farm] providing produce for the surrounding area including volunteers to help and work there since it helps bring the people together in an area that is different from the rest of Dallas.”

SMU Student & Engage Dallas volunteer Harrison Stein

“My Alternative Breaks experience in Dallas was both challenging and incredibly fulfilling We spent the first half of the week working at Our Savior Community Garden, harvesting vegetables and preparing land for future planting It was physically demanding, but seeing the direct impact of our work made it worthwhile

Later in the week, we served at Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, where we supported their grocery distribution and helped community members shop As a Spanish speaker, being able to connect with individuals in their preferred language made the experience even more meaningful.

What stood out most to me was working alongside dedicated volunteers who showed incredible resilience and passion. It was a fullcircle experience from harvesting food to helping distribute it that I will carry with me.”

Kate Alonzo

-Winter 2026 Student Trip Leader

univ course partnership

Through a partnership with our UNIV department, students spent the semester learning about the community-identified needs of Dallas with their professor, Dr. Debra Branch, and then experienced hands-on learning by volunteering with four of our community partners.

Students served with 4 community partners for a total of 780 hours of service. 78 students earned their community engagement proficiency for graduation.

“I had a really positive experience volunteering...because it allowed me to connect with the community and support kids in a meaningful way. It was rewarding to see the impact of mentorship and teamwork while contributing to a supportive and welcoming environment.”

-UNIV student

grant funded events

For the 25-26 academic year, Engage Dallas was awarded a $15,000 grant from an external organization. Our students were given the opportunity to collaborate with a community partner to use part of these funds to plan a large- scale service opportunity. This provided students the opportunity to practice more detailed collaboration, budgeting, and program planning. On the next page, you can read about a few of these projects that were completed.

community partners

student volunteers

volunteer hours

“The experience taught me a lot about event planning and timely communication. Preparing for the event in advance help smoothe things out and in the end, the West Dallas STEM School was very greatful for the communal supply cart and the handwritten cards”

Arushi Tripathy

Student Director for Loyd Commons

“Our service project and partnership with Heart House was incredibly impactful. We implemented a twostep process where a larger group of students packed hygiene kits, wrapped presents, wrote cards, and discussed the importance of Heart House's work in meeting the needs of immigrant, refugee, and low-income children. Next, we delivered the kits and presents to their after-school program and directed an activity, engaging the students in conversation and positive development.”

Margaret Turpel

Student Director for MHPS Commons

The Solo SErvice EXPERIENCE

The Engage Dallas initiative provides students with flexible pathways for meeting their service hour requirement. One of those pathways for completion is solo service. Solo service gives students the option of serving with a community partner independently, and as frequently as their schedules’ permit The solo service pathway was re-launched in February 2026. Since then, over 30 students have pursued this pathway to earn their proficiency! Here are a few reflections from students:

‘My solo experience so far has been very pleasant I tutor a student from Arturo Salazar Elementary School in Dallas an hour each week We do online sessions where I go through a lesson curated to their reading level. My student is in the Emerging Readers (ER) curriculum, so my lessons comprise of helping the student read sentences, going through the alphabet, explaining punctuation, and reading aloud to them.‘

Anay Landeros Morales ‘27

In our spring re-launch of our solo service program: 30 students signed up and participated 9 used solo service hours to receive a community engagement proficiency for graduation

As I spent more time at The Stewpot, my goals evolved. I began to focus more on being present and engaged with the people I was serving rather than just completing tasks I hoped to make individuals feel respected and welcomed during their visit Looking back, I believe these goals were met. I found myself enjoying the experience more than I initially expected. Seeing how appreciative many people were for the help and kindness of volunteers made the work feel meaningful. Rather than feeling like an obligation, volunteering became something I genuinely looked forward to’

‘26

one night for dallas

In April, Engage Dallas and The Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement celebrated the 4 annual One Night for Dallas, an event honoring the students, staff, faculty, and community members who dedicate time to serving Dallas. Continuing the theme, “Rooted in Community, " attendees reflected on the year and how working in community creates impact.

This year, we highlighted SMU’s receipt of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, and we heard from Dr. Dustin Grabsch and Dr. Wendelin Donahue, who served on the committee that oversaw the process. Engage Dallas celebrated our continued commitment to service with over 50 service events, completing over 2,000 direct service hours.

Each year, we award students, staff, faculty, and community partners who went above and beyond. Congratulations again to our award recipients, especially Mercy Street Dallas, who received our Community Partner of the Year Award.

Students actively participated in the Engage Dallas program this year by attending a variety of service events and educational workshops that deepened their understanding of community-identified needs. Through consistent participation, some students earned proficiencies and experiences fulfilling graduation requirements. Students collaborated closely with community partners, contributing to meaningful projects and building lasting relationships that extended their impact beyond campus. 2,133+ Hours

snapshots snapshots ofservice of service

student STORIES

Students who earned their Community Engagement (CE) proficiency with Engage Dallas this year provided reviews of their experience with Engage Dallas and thoughts on the impact that this academic initiative has had on their outlook.

“Engage Dallas ultimately deepened my understanding of what it means to live responsibly within a community I came to see that community engagement is not a one-time obligation but an ongoing commitment to growth, empathy, and justice. The experience reminded me that building a good society begins with small, consistent actions, teaching, encouraging, creating, and listening. A good life, I realized, involves both personal fulfillment and the ability to contribute to the well-being of others A good society values equity, collaboration, and care, ensuring that every individual, regardless of background, can thrive.”

Deborah Park ‘26

“Participating in Engage Dallas helped me develop a deeper understanding of community engagement and the role individuals can play in supporting nonprofit organizations By working with multiple organizations and completing both training and direct service hours, I gained a broader perspective on the challenges communities face and the collaborative efforts required to address them. This experience strengthened my appreciation for community-based organizations and reinforced the importance of civic responsibility and active participation in supporting the well-being of others”

Carly Bellotti ‘26

“I have found that learning the topics of environmental justice and community building are essential to understanding quality of life and social mobility. I have become further aware of this not only with my participation, but going through the background in the Canvas course that show how important understanding community issues are including with disadvantaged areas compared to wealthier areas (eg South vs North Dallas) I hope to continue to be an active participant within the Dallas community and to do more volunteer work to help those in need as I have learned greatly from Engage Dallas and my academic experience at SMU. “

Harrison Stein ‘26

“My overall experience with Engage Dallas was very good. I get to go to places and contribute a little bit of my time to help other organizations and those in need. And while I was volunteering, I also made some new friends and connected with more people.”

Nhi Lu ‘25

“Very glad I did it! Fav event was definitely #1Day4Dallas because of all the programming around it. My original goal for this community engagement experience was very practical. I wanted to finish my required 15 hours so that I could graduate on time under the University Curriculum I expected to learn something, but I mainly saw it as a graduation checkbox Those goals were technically met, however, as the semester went on, my goals changed without me planning it. I started to want more than just hours. I wanted to understand why these organizations exist, what specific problems they are trying to solve, and how my limited time could fit into that larger picture. By the end of the semester my personal goal had shifted to showing up consistently, doing my tasks well, and actually listening to people who live and work in these communities That change in attitude felt like a bigger achievement than just meeting the numerical requirement.”

Oliver Xu ‘27