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GUIDE TO YELLOW SPR INGS | 2021– 2022 41 entirely outside my comfort zone, surrounded by people who think in completely dif- ferent ways than I do.” Her work on the reserva- tion, where she lived with two Navajo women — one of whom didn’t speak English — in a house with no run- ning water and very limited electricity, definitely fulfilled that goal. “It was really hard at first, and I definitely felt like an out - sider coming in,” said Strong. “I was still an outsider when I left, but less so. There was definitely some trust there.” Perri Freeman, a second year who finished her co-op in April, also confronted issues of difference and otherness during her time in Mexico, where she worked at a community center for street children in San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southern state of Chiapas. Freeman helped develop and give workshops on issues such as domestic violence, sex education and immigra - tion — topics that, while difficult, affect the children in their daily lives. “It was emotionally very intense for me,” she said of the experience. “It was so hard to see kids who aren’t getting enough to eat, or 14-year-olds who come in hung over.” While profoundly difficult, Freeman’s time in Mexico has only served to deepen her interest in history and educa- tion, since history can help contextualize such situations and education has the poten - tial to help people overcome the challenges of poverty. “I’m even more aware of class and privilege,” she said, “which is so important when looking at education. [My experience] made me even more motivated to help, but at the same time you’re like ‘Wow, this issue is immense.’ ” ♦ This article was originally published in 2014. ANTIOCH COLLEGE’S MILLER FELLOWS BOOST LOCAL NONPROFITS By MEGAN BACHMAN F or Antioch College student Megan Miller, a yearlong job at the Yellow Springs Arts Council sparked a love of art gal- leries that has since led her to co-ops at the Santa Fe Art Institute and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Fellow student Kijin Higashibaba turned a job last year at Antioch radio station WYSO- FM into an internship for a Sacramento television station, where she now covers the California statehouse. The early careers of both stu- dents were launched by their Miller Fellowships, during which they worked at local nonprofit organizations. In the program’s third year, 16 Antioch students are working 10 hours per week at one of 11 nonprofits. Students are paid $10 per hour from a grant, while the cost to the nonprofit is minimal. Antioch College student Nargees Jamahan, class of 2015, was enjoying the process of building the mortar and cordwood wall on the back side of the Tea Pavilion behind the Antioch farm. | PHOTO BY SUZANNE SZEMPRUCH MILLER FELLOWS “It’s just been fantastic for us,” WYSO General Manager Neenah Ellis said of the four Miller Fellows who have worked at the radio station. At WYSO, students have learned inter- viewing, recording and radio editing and have all been on the air, while WYSO has benefited from the technical skills of “digi- tal natives” who have chipped in to create original content for its website, Ellis said. “We’re a small radio station and we all wear many hats, so when someone walks in the door who has skills already, we give them responsibility and everyone steps up,” Ellis said. The Antioch Miller Fel - lowships were created when longtime villagers and broth - ers Nolan and Richard Miller bequeathed $3 million to the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. Nolan, who died in 2006 and was an associate editor of The Antioch Review and a writing teacher at Antioch College, and Richard, an artist who died in 2009, asked that the endowment funds be used to strengthen the town-gown relationship. The foundation came up with the idea of using the money to pay Antioch students to work for local nonprofits. Fellow - ships began in 2011. This year students are working at WYSO, Glen Helen Ecology Institute, the Arthur Morgan Institute for Commu - nity Solutions, the Tecumseh Land Trust, the Yellow Springs Senior Center, the Yellow Springs Arts Council, Yellow Springs Schools, Community Access Channel 5, the Antioch School, Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse and Home, Inc. Nonprofits can become host organizations by applying to the Yellow Springs Community Foundation each summer. At a job fair on the Antioch campus in the fall, students and organizations interview each other to find the best fit. Students typically work for the organization for an entire year. Jerome Borchers, president of the Arts Council, said Miller Fellows there have “multiplied the influence of the small staff” of the organization and students helped with public relations, gallery work, mem - bership and youth outreach. Krista Magaw, executive Continued from page 39 Continued on page 42