University Community Service Center
The University Community Service Center (UCSC) connects students to civic engagement opportunities, on and off campus, that complement the University of Chicago’s rigorous academic experience. Part of the Office of Civic Engagement, UCSC provides a range of resources that contribute to student civic learning and impact across the city of Chicago.
Founded by Michelle Obama in 1996, UCSC helps students make meaningful connections with Chicago’s diverse communities and prepares them to become productive, thoughtful leaders in their civic, academic, and professional lives. More than 2,000 students participate in UCSC programming in partnership with more than 250 Chicago organizations per year.
Through UCSC, students can learn from, and contribute to, organizations and initiatives making a meaningful impact across Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Students are connected to a broad spectrum of engagement opportunities and commitment levels tailored to a range of interests.
Get Involved!
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Profiles
Akanksha Shah
Maroon Tutor Match
“Maroon Tutor Match helped me learn to work with people — not just students and families, but tutors as well — who were very different from me and had different priorities and struggles. Getting a better understanding of where people are coming from is invaluable.”
André Tse
Summer Links
Summer Links pairs undergraduate students like Tse with internships at local community-based organizations and examines social issues impacting the city of Chicago.
Ashlyn Sparrow
Education Partnerships, Weston Game Lab
Ashlyn Sparrow wants young people from Chicago’s South Side to take her job someday. As the Assistant Director of the Weston Game Lab at the University of Chicago, Sparrow is a game designer who is always eager to show young people that they too can turn their personal interests into fulfilling careers.
Brooke Davis
Tech-Savvy Friends CSRSO
Every other Friday, Davis and her group lead technology sessions at Hyde Park’s Augustana Lutheran Church in partnership with Chicago Hyde Park Village (CHPV), a nonprofit support network for older adults in the neighborhood.
Claire Sampson
Neighborhood Schools Program
“As an NSP volunteer, I felt that I was in classrooms to build relationships with students and teachers and schools. It’s all about those 35 kids and what they need, whether that means helping a teacher prep curriculum work, grading papers, or working with a student one-on-one.”
Devshi Mehrotra
CompileHer
“It is only when individuals from diverse backgrounds are equipped with digital skills that they will be able to craft technological solutions for the communities they belong to.”
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