Reflections from the Studio on Community: What It Means to Be a Catalyst of Change

The Harwood Studio on Community was established in 2017 to create the time and space within the Institute necessary to explore new areas and innovate around complex civic challenges, and to be a space where individuals can spend time at the Institute to develop their own ideas and skills. 

The following reflections come from Morgan Wordelmann, a rising senior at the Ohio State University who joined the Institute as a Studio Associate for summer 2024.

I first discovered policy in high school, while participating in Model Congress. It was my first time in DC, and although our bills were just for fun, I found myself struck by all of the ways that Congress could help the people of our country just by debating ideas on sheets of paper. Something in my brain clicked. This would later influence my path of study in college. 

I felt hopeful about politics and the path our country was heading on. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and I watched what I used to think was a united country practically tear itself apart over the 2020 election. As I entered college, I saw a country divided, and no one seemed to know the way out. 

Throughout college, I noticed similar trends. Republican versus Democrat, and the third party was almost never considered. Fragmentation made me wary of what the field of politics would look like, especially with the upcoming election. The Harwood Institute has realigned my perspective on what it means to be a catalyst of change. In the face of real divisions, change can come from people coming together to move forward on their shared aspirations as a community. While the government can have positive impacts, it was refreshing to see how a community could band together to be its own problem solver. This was the message I saw repeated through my work with community initiatives, and the “Enough. Time to Build.”campaign. 

Viewing my time at Ohio State through this new perspective, I realize I have seen the same patterns emerge in my personal and academic life. Whether it’s a group project, working with the Undergraduate Student Government’s Sustainability Committee, or managing a campus cafe, I have witnessed how coming together to take action on what matters to people can create ripples of change. As I return for my senior year, I am eager to continue to work on actions that bring my community closer together and to see how change unfolds.