Written by Clarissa Laguardia, Student Engagement Coordinator at Campus Compact
Whether you are an immigrant or a child of immigrants, you can probably relate to that feeling of being lost and overwhelmed while everyone else seems to have a clear path. Generally, second generation college graduates may seem relatively adept at navigating college due to access and examples in their immediate family. For me, figuring out college felt like a full-time job. I eventually found my way. You can read about my many years (almost decades) in community college and the long road that led me here today. But that’s a story for another day.
In 2019, I was approached by the President’s Office at Sacramento State University. To my surprise, they nominated me as their 2020 Newman Civic Fellow. I had no idea what this meant, but I immediately looked it up. One of my faculty advisors took notice of my volunteer work on and off-campus. For me, it was a tremendous honor to share space with other diverse, young leaders representing over 200 colleges and universities nationwide. For the first time, I felt like I belonged, because what all Newman Fellows have in common is a deep, running desire to improve their community and a passion for social equity. During my fellowship year, COVID-19 hit and community events had to be canceled. This was hard. Today, I feel incredibly fortunate to help manage the Newman Civic Fellows program at Campus Compact, as the Student Engagement Coordinator.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program that recognizes and supports student public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor based on their potential for public leadership and their work with communities.
Currently, 18 percent of the 2022-2023 cohort self-identify as Hispanic or Latino. In general, Newman Civic Fellows are representative of today’s student population – they are racially and socially diverse. To learn more about our current cohort, please visit this page. As an organization, we encourage current fellows to recruit the next fellow at their campus. We also ask colleges and universities to consider nominating students from historically marginalized communities.
Throughout the fellowship year, Campus Compact provides Newman Civic Fellows with opportunities for learning and networking virtually and in person. Each opportunity is designed to help students learn to collaborate effectively across disciplines and to apply their skills to directly create positive social change in their communities.
• Regular virtual events focused on skill development and professional learning
• An annual in-person Convening of Fellows
• One-on-one leadership development with a local mentor of their choice
• Connection to a nationwide network of engaged student leaders, both during and after the fellowship year
• Public national recognition
• Special scholarship and career opportunities
• Opportunities to present or publish work through Campus Compact
• Honor the legacy of Campus Compact Founder Frank Newman and are community-committed students
• Engage in collaborative action with others on campus or surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change
• Take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization
• Demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement
In keeping with Frank Newman’s passion for educational access, Campus Compact strongly encourages presidents and chancellors to give preference to students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
Student nominees must:
• Be currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program at their institution (with preference for undergraduate students).
• Have at least one year of their education remaining (either at their current institution or at a different one) on the date of nomination, so that they are enrolled as a student for the full duration of their fellowship (September-May).
• Commit to providing a short reflection piece to Campus Compact during their fellowship.
• Commit to being present and fully engaged in offered fellowship activities.
Nominating institutions must:
• Commit to helping the nominee identify a local mentor.
• Be active members of Campus Compact when the nominations are due (typically early February).
• Submit nomination materials on behalf of the president or chancellor. However, the nominee’s leadership profile and the letter of nomination must be approved and signed by the president or chancellor.
• Consider covering the cost of the fellow’s transportation to the annual Convening of Newman Civic Fellows (encouraged, not required).
Make note of important dates:
• Nomination form opens in late October
• Nomination form closes in early February
• Fellows are announced in early March
• Fellowship duration, from September to May (academic year)
If you or someone you know have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at fellows@compact.org or visit https://compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship/.
Unidos en la lucha, ¡Sí, se puede!
Place your job ad in our classified page on the HO print & digital Edition
