Since joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Communication Department in 2011, Dr. Kendra Rivera has demonstrated her passion for helping students become active participants in their learning: creating their own student learning outcomes, Safe Classroom Guidelines, and participating in community projects. Rivera’s courses are filled with assignments and activities that ask students to solve “real world” problems with their critical thinking and research. She uses a variety of high impact teaching practices to engage her classroom, such as service learning, reflexive writing, and team-based learning. “It’s important to me that students gain confidence in their skills and abilities,” she explains. “This will not only better prepare them for their future careers, but it will help them to give back to their communities.”