Cami Stevovich, senior economics major at Wittenberg, recently conducted a poverty simulation on campus in conjunction with Think Tank, a local nonprofit organization aiming to ‘rethink poverty’ on the global stage.

Named a Community Campus Coalition 2024 Newman Civic Fellow, the Rocky River, Ohio, resident is using the simulation as part of her senior honors thesis. Called the Cost of Poverty Experience or COPE, the simulation took place in late September inside the 1929 Fieldhouse, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

“Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community were involved in this project,” said Stevovich, who is a civic engagement coordinator at Wittenberg’s Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban and Engagement.  “The question we analyzed for the simulation is how poverty simulations correlate to a change in attitude toward poverty and a potential willingness to donate. While this is for my thesis research, organizations on campus such as the Hagen Center have worked to progress this process for the past year.”

The simulation, which is also part of Stevovich’s Newman Civic Fellowship, a year-long program for college-age students, engaged more than 50 students.

“We had a good turnout and were able to engage and understand the meaning and experiences of poverty,” she said. “While this was for a research project, it was a way for students to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and utilize their education in real-life circumstances.”

Additionally, Stevovich explained that the effort also allowed the Springfield community and Wittenberg University to collaborate and engage students on the realities of poverty in a meaningful and enlightening way.

A volunteer for the Children’s Rescue Center, an after-school organization that helps children and families with care and resources, Stevovich said her experiences as a volunteer led her to understand that poverty alleviation and community growth are the duties of everyone in a community.

“I want to move beyond volunteerism and work toward holistic community development that includes the voices of people living in poverty,” she said. “I plan to pursue graduate studies and a career in nonprofit economics to help grow healthy communities and improve the lives of those in need.”