Helping others is nothing new for graduate student Curtis Blyden, who was a youth development volunteer with the Peace Corps in rural Mongolia for more than two years before coming to Suffolk University

In his role as a community service graduate fellow with the S.O.U.L.S. Community Service and Service Learning Center, Blyden manages programs that provide mentorship and support to elementary-school students aiming to attend college.

Learning & doing

“Getting connected to S.O.U.L.S. allows me to continue to do what I am passionate about, which is to work with children and to empower them through education and civic engagement,” said Blyden, who is working toward a master's degree in Ethics and Public Policy. “S.O.U.L.S. also allows me to incorporate what I am learning in the classroom into the work that I do here.”

Blyden, a Boston native, worked with City Year Boston as a project manager for community service projects following his time in the Peace Corps.

Leadership role model

He enjoys serving as a positive role model for students at the Eliot School and the Bird Street Community Center through the Connections 2 College and Kids to College programs.

“I share my own life experiences as well as talk to them about being leaders in their own communities someday,” he said.

Blyden said that his brother Tim Dibble has been an inspiration as he has followed a path of service.

“My brother Tim has not only been my mentor, but also my best friend and role model for many years," said Blyden. "I have learned so much about helping people in need through his idealism.”