Though part of a relatively new program, the current cohort of students in the MS in Communication for Development and Social Change (CDSC) Department is making their mark on Temple. According to their website; launched in 2014, the CDSC program is a one-year master’s program where students learn how to “use digital and traditional communications to promote social change.”  The 2020-2021 cohort has taken an extra step in enriching their experience in the program by creating a professional club for their program of choice, and for anyone other Temple students who are interested.

The club started in a WhatsApp group chat when Club President Shoanne Seijas gauged the cohort’s interest in forming a club for their program. “I see all these majors seem to have clubs,” Seijas said, “we should, we should have a club.” After getting more people on board, including advisor CDSC Chair Tom Jacobson, the club officially launched in November 2020.

Though the club has an active executive board, the students stress the collaborative nature of their work. “Even if, like, I have the title of president, it’s really up to the whole group,” Seijas said. Jacobson agreed, calling Seijas “a very collaborative leader.”

Club Vice President Andrew Grande also does not look at the club as having a hierarchy. The board meets on Friday mornings to discuss what they are doing, provide updates on event planning and to see if anyone needs help. “Those Friday mornings have been kind of the, one of the highlights of the week for me, just being able to talk with everyone outside of a classroom,” Grande said.

When deciding how they wanted the club to serve their cohort and other students, several themes emerged. “This is really an instance of sort of self-directed learning,” Jacobson said. So far, they have had guest speaker events where the board members have brought in people from previous cohorts or professionals in prospective fields that the members may be interested in.

Treasurer Dalia Alahmad arranged for Nora Elmarzouky, co-founder and editor of the Arabic community newspaper Friends, Peace, & Sanctuary, to come and discuss how her work with the publication connects the Arabic community of Philadelphia. Grande in particular liked this event because it brought together the topics from the journalism class the cohort is taking this semester with ideas from the community media class they took last semester.

On top of what Jacobson described as “supplementing what they get from the classroom and faculty,” the club is also there to provide support for one another as they begin their capstone projects. Seijas will be working on sustainable digital communication development in rural communities, and Grande is not quite sure which direction he will go in, but is interested in clean water action or message development in nonprofits. 

So what is next for the CDSC club? This cohort will host two more guest speakers: Dr. Alex Fattal and Dr. Yves Salomon-Fernandes. The former will discuss his work and research with the Autosuficiencia Juntada con Apoyo (AjA) project, and the latter will discuss her education, career, and experience as a consultant with the United Nations. 

But what happens when the current cohort moves on and a new one comes in?

Grande hopes the club “becomes a network to be able to reach out and talk to people that have gone through the program and ask them questions,” and would love to see the next cohort step in and reap the same benefits that he did. Seijas acknowledged that as the club grows, the structure of the board may change, but hopes that they continue to collaborate for events and support each other throughout their time in the CDSC program.

“You know this club is an expression of the cohort of students for the 2021 academic year of the CDSC program,” Jacobson said. All the hard work they put into getting the club started has paid off, though, and will continue to pay off for future students. 

“It’s worth it,” Seijas said, “especially because of how much it’ll probably help out future cohorts.”