SHU and CT Mirror Team Up to Share Student Views

Multi-year partnership encourages college students to share their ideas and advocate for what they believe

For college students, finding their voice and gaining professional confidence is not an easy feat.

However, Tricia Lewis, assistant professor of health sciences, has been working to change that. Lewis’ community and public health class has students share their voices on important social issues for a chance to be published by a top state news outlet, The Connecticut Mirror.

The partnership between Lewis and CT Mirror came about back in 2021, a year prior to Lewis becoming a SHU faculty member. As a doctoral student in sociology, Lewis was interested in how public policy influenced health outcomes at a local level and wanted to share her own research to this effect. Through the encouragement of the Scholars Strategy Network, Lewis connected with Paul Stern from CT Mirror to publish her first op-ed that advocated for state-wide initiatives to tackle housing insecurity in Connecticut.

When Lewis began teaching at SHU in 2022, she brought her journalism connections to Park Avenue. Lewis wanted to provide her students with the same opportunity to share their voices that she had just a year prior.

Lewis introduced her class to Harriet Jones, an award-winning freelance journalist and former managing editor at Connecticut Public Radio, who also frequently collaborates with WSHU Public Radio on Sacred Heart’s campus. She oversees the “Student Voice” page at CT Mirror.

Each semester, the students in Lewis’ class are tasked with writing an op-ed piece concerning a public health issue about which they are passionate. Op-ed means “opposite the editorial page,” as that is where they traditionally appear in print media. They are informed, but personal, opinions written by guest writers not associated with the publication—often thought leaders, experts or public figures. Each op-ed is reviewed by Lewis and Jones, with about 10 students being selected each semester to work with Jones to fine-tune the piece before it is published.

As an experienced journalist, Jones celebrates the fresh perspective that working with students on this project provides. “Connecticut Mirror launched the Student Voice project to help young people realize it’s vital to raise their voices and be part of the conversation on important policies that affect their lives,” she said.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been able to publish 50 op-eds SHU students wrote on a wide range of topics,” Jones added. “As an instructor, I’m constantly inspired by the fresh perspectives, experiences and ideas the students bring to this work.”

The collaboration not only requires students to further research a topic they are interested in, but it also offers a unique chance to have their opinion given a platform to reach the public and make a real difference. On some occasions, the pieces get picked up by other outlets, gaining traction and the potential to begin conversations on a wider scale.

For the students involved, seeing their work published provides an incredible feeling of confidence in their voice and ideas. Health science major Makenzie Manning ’25 is grateful for the unique and impactful partnership.

“The partnership with CT Mirror has been incredibly beneficial, particularly in giving me a platform to voice my research,” she said. “This is especially important for college students, as much of our research is typically done as a class requirement; it allows students to explore topics they are passionate about and see how their work can make a difference in the community, providing real purpose to our work.”

Senior health science major Hailey Conklin also shared Manning’s enthusiasm for the project and enjoyed how she was able to share a personal story.

“This partnership benefited me because it allowed me to share something that is extremely important to me,” she said. “I was able to tell my aunt's story and through sharing it, I was able to voice my opinion on an issue that could help other people in a similar situation to hers in the future.”

As a professor, Lewis feels a special sense of pride in seeing her students publish their opinion pieces. “Often times, student scholarship is contained to the classroom, but this project gives them a broader platform to share what is important to them,” she said. “It is great to see students find and channel their voices, knowing that their words can make an impact.”