How Did We Get H.E.R.E.?
H.E.R.E. began with a simple idea: students entering helping professions benefit when they have an early opportunity to build community connections, learn local resources, and develop relationships with people already doing the work.
The idea
Higher Education Resource Exchange was created as a community-building experience for students entering helping professions. It is designed to support students alongside their academic preparation, field education, and professional development.
H.E.R.E. gives students an early opportunity to meet community partners, learn about local organizations, understand available resources, and build relationships with people who are already serving the community.
The program is rooted in something many of us already understand: everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. When people need help, connection often begins with knowing who to ask, where to look, or who might know the next right person.
H.E.R.E. helps students begin building that kind of community knowledge and connection early in their educational journey.
H.E.R.E. is a head start on community connection: everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. The program helps students build the relationships that make those connections easier to find and easier to share.
Why exchange matters
H.E.R.E. is built around reciprocal learning. Community partners share their time, experience, and knowledge with students. Students return that investment through service, reflection, and care for the community they are learning from.
This exchange creates a stronger connection between students, institutions, and the communities around them. It honors community partners as educators, mentors, and leaders, while giving students a meaningful way to contribute.
For colleges and universities, H.E.R.E. offers a practical model for deepening community engagement through relationship, consistency, and shared investment.
Who created H.E.R.E.?
H.E.R.E. was created by Rebecca “Sid” O’Brien as an experiential learning and community connection model for students entering helping professions.
Rebecca “Sid” O’Brien
Rebecca “Sid” O’Brien created Higher Education Resource Exchange to offer students an early opportunity to build relationships with community partners, learn local resources, and connect with mentors, sponsors, peers, and future collaborators.
Sid believes students are strengthened by meaningful connection to the communities where they learn, serve, and grow. H.E.R.E. was built to support that connection through service, reflection, and reciprocal relationship.
Full bio coming soon.
Fall 2026 Community Connection Facilitators
H.E.R.E. is designed to grow through student leadership. Past Community Connection Fellows may return as facilitators, bringing their own cohort experience into the next round of the program.
Vie
Community Connection Fellow - Summer 2026
I am a community driven person who believes deeply in service, connection, and collective well being. My education in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, and Human Environmental Sciences strengthened my passion for addressing food insecurity and advancing nutrition equity, continuing to guide my commitment to creating healthier, more supportive communities. I love volunteering, including coleading my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, where I support girls as they grow in confidence and leadership. I enjoy connecting with others and learning about their why, and I am excited to meet the new Community Connection Fellows and build relationships that help our community thrive!
Tawnya
Past Community Connection Fellow and Fall 2026 Community Connection Facilitator.
Bio coming soon.
Where H.E.R.E. is going
H.E.R.E. is meant to grow from cohort to cohort. Each group of fellows adds to the relationships, lessons, and community knowledge that can support the next group.
Over time, the goal is to build a living network of students, facilitators, community partners, mentors, sponsors, and local resources. Each fellow leaves with more people to learn from, more places to turn, and more ways to support others.