Carolyn Colvin has been actively involved with the First Gen Task Force at the University of Iowa since its inception. She defines her scholarship as community-engagement and has worked with the West Liberty (Iowa) School District and the West Liberty Community. In 1993, Colvin along with community members created a literacy program for immigrant adults who had very limited access to assistance with improving their English literacy because of family and work schedules. Colvin recruited pre-service teachers to serve as literacy tutors for adults who wanted to help their children with homework and extend their own learning opportunities. In 2017 following the Presidential Election, Professor Colvin met with local members of the Latina/o community, teachers in the District, and faith-based community members to create a Citizenship program for adults seeking to become naturalized US Citizens. This very successful program provided support and funding for 40+ adults until the program closed in 2020 because of COVID. Again, as a community engaged scholar, Professor Colvin is working with a local advisory board to recruit ‘new’ citizens for a program focused on Civic Participation in West Liberty. Civic participation and equity challenges are significant challenges for rural communities in the future. In the Department of Teaching and Learning, Professor Colvin is a member of the English Education faculty and also teaches seminars to PhD students focused on the importance of Language. She has chaired the Financial Aid Advisory committee on campus and has recently written a chapter detailing the needs of rural students, particularly of color and the role financial aid plays in their success in higher education. At a national level, Colvin is active in the American Educational Research Association’s RURAL SIG with service on the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) committee.