Meet our community partners
Thomas Park / Avondale Community Partners
Students collaborate with the Director of the Ross Community Center, Jacqueline Hanoman, to build relationships with Avondale, Muncie community members. Ross Immersive was made possible by the work and dedication of our community partners.
Cindy McCormick
Community Volunteer
"Prior to moving into this community, I didn't feel accepted, until I joined the Avondale Methodist Church. Not only did this project help me voice my gratitude toward the church, but I also achieved something I never thought I could do."
April Poole
Wife, Mother, Model, Future Entrepreneur
"I joined this project to simultaneously learn about the art of photography and more about my community to which I am a fairly new resident. I gained just that, plus a sense of what community truly means."
Jeannetta Presley
Volunteer and Avondale Methodist Church member
"Photography has always fascinated me, but I've never had the opportunity to try it (taking photographs) before. I've learned a lot from this project, and it gave me a reason to stay busy."
Jeffery Brubaker
Owner of Sparky's Corner Greenhouse
"If I'm being honest I wasn't really interested in doing this project at first, but I got selected because I am one of the residents who has lived here the longest. I am glad I stuck with it though because it gave me a sense of nostalgia and satisfaction seeing everyone else's work."
Dr. Jacqueline Hanoman
is a Venezuelan-Guyanese sociologist, educator, qualitative researcher, and nonprofit leader. She is the Executive Director of the Ross Community Center and has over 25 years of experience successfully developing multidimensional poverty programs and projects with NGOs, universities, multilateral and international organizations, governments, and nonprofit organizations in Venezuela, South Africa, and the USA. As a lifelong learner and qualitative researcher, she is passionate about working with people in marginalized communities and walking hand in hand with them to create integrated approaches, focused on strengthening democratic values, equity, and supporting people and organizations to confront challenges of social injustice (including economic and racial), insecurity and public health. Her areas of research are constantly evolving within these areas of multidimensional poverty. Her most recent research areas of focus have been food insecurity, as related to public health and socioeconomic and cultural inequities.