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. Throughout the fellowship year, Campus Compact provides students with opportunities to nurture their assets and help them develop strategies for social change—creating a network of connected and engaged student leaders who can support one another in making positive change.
Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. The yearlong program, named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, includes virtual learning opportunities and networking as part of a national network of engaged student leaders and an optional in-person convening.
Campus Compact views the Newman Civic Fellowship as a core component of our strategy to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can support one another in building transformational partnerships between campuses and communities.
Below are the personal statement from each of the nine Bonners who are part of the 2023-24 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.
AALIYAH MOORE
BATES COLLEGE
Politics/African Studies: Class of 2024
My desire to assist communities through social justice and legal reform initiatives stems from growing up in a beautifully diverse community veiled by poverty, oppression, injustice, and neglect. During my first year at Bates College, I immediately sought community engagement opportunities through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. Part of what drew me to Bates is the diverse external community and the extensive work Bates does to foster relationships with residents. My work as an intern with College Guild, a non-profit organization that provides free education to incarcerated individuals, focused on incorporating multiculturalism within curricular units. I am also a Community Outreach Fellow at Bates, which entails developing relationships with community partners and then collaborating with student volunteers to advance social justice initiatives. For instance, I partnered with Maine Prisoner Reentry Network and Bates students to lead a Squashing Stigma workshop titled “Unspoken Truths About Incarcerated Women” to debunk stereotypes about incarcerated women in Maine. I am also a Bonner Racial Justice Fellow, encouraging students of color to engage in community organizations prioritizing racial equity and justice. As part of this work, I led a collaboration between BIPOC college students and a non-profit that serves marginalized youth in Maine.
ANGEL YOUNG
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY
Psychology: Class of 2024
As a child, I never dreamed that I would be someone with the power and voice to make a difference in the world. I realize now that I make a greater impact with my words and actions as an adult with a voice than I ever imagined. When I interned at Brooklyn Park City Hall in 2019, I realized that I had a passion for using my knowledge and experience to make a difference. From my interactions with the mayor and other council members to the different departments at City Hall, I knew this was my destiny. From the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth to Genesys at TCF Bank to Second Harvest, UCodeGirl to the Children's Defense Fund, I have been involved with many organizations over the years. By using all of my knowledge and experience, both past, present, and future, I try to make a positive difference. Helping those who have little or none is my mission in life, those who have grown up as I have.
Anum Merchant
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
Leadership Studies and Political Science: Class of 2024
My first exposure to societal inequalities was while visiting my grandparents in India. My mother took my older brother and I to distribute blankets and food to homeless individuals during the cold winter months. This was when I was introduced to the term ‘pay it forward.’ To me, it is a form of service and engagement that is reciprocal in nature, and as I grew older, I found myself going back to this term through each community service initiative I undertook. It stayed with me through working with students from underprivileged communities in rural India on their soft skills or working as an investigation intern at the Public Defender's Office in Richmond, working with the investigator in aiding attorneys to provide the best defense to those who cannot afford their own representatives in court. As an active member of my community, I aim to work with individuals in disadvantaged positions while creating an inclusive and diverse environment. I aspire to continue doing so, even in my years after Richmond. I believe that grassroots efforts always make an impact in community service, and I hope to ‘pay it forward’ on the path of social justice.
AYLON GIPSON
MORHOUSE COLLEGE
Economic: Class of 2023
As a young kid, I have always had a passion for public service. I would often sit with my grandpa and watch news related to current events and politics. We stayed active, attending registration events, rallies, and more. Although my grandpa and grandmother were not public officials, they taught me what it truly meant to be a city which was an engagement in the community. This passion for public service still cares today. I have the opportunity to serve as as the Political Participation Coordinator for the Bonner Office of Community Service. In this role, I have mobilized and educated Atlanta University Center students on civic engagement led and hosted voter registration drives, candidate forums, and informational videos on campus. With this passion, I also served as a White House HBCU Scholar recognized for my accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civic engagement.
Azusena Hernandez
MARYVILLE COLLEGE
Mathematics: Class of 2025
As the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, my parents always emphasized the importance of education. I grew up in a household where English was not the primary language, but despite the language barrier, my community was always willing to help me overcome that obstacle. As I grew older, I became a part of the community mentors dedicated to helping children growing up in similar backgrounds. Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer with the Adult Education Center, Warming Shelter, and Blount County Public Library as a Bonner Scholar at Maryville College. Through this service, I have realized the importance of a community coming together and getting multiple perspectives, but most importantly, the lack of access to education for people of different, diverse backgrounds. I want to pursue a degree and continue my service with the community to give back to the community that has shaped me into the person I am today. Pursuing a STEM degree in higher education as a Hispanic female will allow me to be a role model for future generations that overcoming the obstacles and prejudices that would otherwise impede our accomplishments is possible.
HALLE GENSLER
BEREA COLLEGE
Peace & Social Justice Studies and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies: Class of 2025
Building a community based on understanding and compassion has been the foundation of my work as an advocate and supervisor. Before Berea, I was taught the importance of team building through understanding personal hardships in Operation Snowball and AmeriCorps VISTA. Both organizations centered on supporting people with mental health struggles from minor to severe experiences. Regardless of the intensity of mental hardship, I realized the vitality to have open conversations to create a sustainable, caring community. The development of social movements since COVID-19 emphasizes that underserved populations navigate unjust, prejudiced processes in significant margins. However, I believe communities can overcome certain polarizations based on mutual understanding and affirmation. To engage in all areas of civic engagement, we need to create and maintain compassionate relationships in a community. As a student coordinator for the First-Year Bonner Scholars, I intentionally instill empathetic values and space for open dialogues, which is why I continue to choose leadership positions highlighting peer mentorship and capacity building. The process is gradual; however, rebuilding meaningful connections for future advocates is foundational for larger-scale change-making. I chose my majors to understand unjust institutionalization and create action to abolish systemic issues, to invoke the change we wish to see.
Jiseon (Alice) Im
BROWN UNIVERSITY
Science, Technology, and Society: Class of 2024
From my own experiences growing up, I entered Brown with a passion for health inequities. On campus, I gravitated towards studying it through a Social Determinants of Health lens because of my desire to address the root causes. Out of the six determinants, I developed a specific interest in education because of my experiences as a first-generation student. Hence, I started researching parent engagement, interning at CYCLE, and using classes to find an intersection between education and public health. It wasn’t until my trip to Mississippi with the Bonner Fellows that I realized research and direct community work were only half the battle. Being there, I saw how history marked the present through the perpetuation of the inequities from the past. But I also met change-makers who worked relentlessly to change the trajectory history set for their communities. From town halls to policies, and legislation, the biggest driver of progress was the democratic process. Desiring to better understand the world of policy, I spent a semester interning at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. I leave with a wealth of inspiration to continue addressing the inequities surrounding health through a collaboration of community-engaged work, research, and policy.
Kayla Young
LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE
Nursing: Class of 2023
My passion for being a mentor to middle and high school aged students began before I graduated high school myself. At the early age of 13, I began volunteering in the children's ministry at my church. Teaching elementary kids about the love of Jesus fueled my servant's heart and motivated me to volunteer beyond the church. Most recently, and where I feel like I have seen my passion grow the most, is with the E.D.G.E. mentoring program that started last year in my hometown school system. With E.D.G.E. I have been able to directly mentor students ages 5th to 12th grade. While with students we discuss progress in school and evaluate weekly goals and self-care practices. We focus on future plans, whether that be preparing for college or preparing to work right after high school. I have created many bonds with the students and have become someone they trust and can confide in. My goal is to make sure each student, no matter their background, knows that they're capable of following and achieving any goals they have set for themselves and helping provide the means for them to get there in whatever ways I can!
Kyle Thaller
UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG
Political Science; Minor: International Relations: Class of 2025
I have a call to service and want to help the world as a global leader by showcasing the Strength in Diversity. This came from being permanently disabled and knowing firsthand how it feels to be type-cast and treated unfairly. Diversity-related issues are the root cause of all conflicts, and I seek to help resolve those conflicts by promoting diversity among the world’s young leaders. I have founded and led international and domestic programs that have saved disabled children and mitigated civil war, all of which depended upon diversity for success. My proudest example occurred as a U.S. Senate Page. My “Mr. Bipartisan” attitude among the polarized pages within a similarly polarized Senate allowed me to lead nine of my page classmates on a “Federalism Project” to mitigate civil war in South Sudan. The ten of us were of different religions, races, ethnicity, gender, sex, and political parties. Global leaders like Mandela and Gandhi depended upon the strength of diversity for their success, and so our project succeeded because we understood that together we were much stronger than individually. Although disabled, my personal strength and call to service lies in advocating global diversity to inspire and teach other young leaders.
LAUREN FUNKE
COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT
Environmental: Class of 2024
I first became interested in advocating for racial equality when I was twelve and my mom told me about racist voting laws. Once I was a teenager, I learned about mass incarceration and when George Floyd was murdered, I made signs and protested in the Twin Cities. In college this interest led me to become an environmental studies major where I learn about the racial inequalities tied to climate change and disaster recovery. I came to realize that toxic waste is most frequently dumped in BIPOC or poorer communities and they are also often neglected by insurance companies and evacuation procedures in severe storms. I took this work with me when I attended the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference in Egypt this fall and conducted my own research on loss and damage from climate change. I interviewed four people from countries most vulnerable to climate change to understand what they demand from the Global North as compensation. I used this research to publish a column for Project Optimist and spark these conversations with people in my home community and I continue to advocate for policies that bring justice to marginalized communities.
Naya Welcher
SPELMAN COLLEGE
Mathematics/Pre-Law: Class of 2025
Growing up the daughter of a pastor I learned early the responsibility to fight injustice. I first became involved in addressing issues of economic inequality after I toured my county’s jail as high school junior. I started volunteering with organizations that provided food and clothing to families in need. I examined the connection between income, access to capital, and life outcomes. I learned that residents of low-income communities had access to fewer resources like quality grocery stores and college scholarships. Distributing clothing and food was helpful, but I wanted people to not need this kind of help. During my freshman summer I had an internship at Bessemer Trust where I deepened my understanding of financial processes, explored nonprofit management, and examined the tool of philanthropy. Through this experience I enhanced my skills and knowledge and began to serve as a conduit for sharing meaningful information that can lead to long-term change. On campus I’m active with Gifted Girls of Grace, a mentoring organization and facilitated March Madne$$, featuring Historically Black College and University alumni speaking on funding secondary education and maximizing summer internship money. I’m also involved in providing financial literacy workshops to seventh graders at a local middle school.
PAUL NGUYEN
MACALESTER COLLEGE
Political Science: Class of 2026
Coming from an immigrant Vietnamese household, my family and I have seen and experienced various injustices. This has enhanced my commitment to social justice which is centered on my community. During the pandemic, I volunteered with my local food shelf on Fridays. Realizing these food insecurities came from systematic problems, I engaged in social activism through the Asian American Organizing Project, where I advocated for social justice issues such as voter rights and racial justice. This is one of the places where I learned to navigate social issues that were important to my community. I’ve also served as a Council Assistant at City Council where I aided in drafting legislation regarding community engagement and pioneered a project on supporting housing policies and tenant protections. Through this work, I also coordinated several portfolios regarding social issues challenging Saint Paul. Taking these skills with me on campus, I became involved with the Bonner Community Scholars where I volunteer at local elementary schools to build strong relationships between the campus and the public. I hope to continue to build a stronger community while advocating for social justice as a Newman Civic Fellow. My identity is foundational in fueling this commitment.
Tzetzangare
Rosas-Perez
OBERLIN COLLEGE
Environmental Studies, Comparative American Studies: Class of 2024
In my three years at Oberlin College, I have had the privilege of working closely with many communities, some that even reflected mine. Coming in as a first-generation low-income student I knew that most of my interest in service would be around finding ways to be engaged directly with the community and its needs. In my first year, I worked with Ms. Vel’s Purple Oasis in Cleveland where I wrote grants for the community garden and the continual development of its space as a source of fresh food and knowledge-enrichment surrounding healthy eating. I then transitioned to El Centro through our program El Centro Volunteer Initiative (ECVI) which is student-run and -managed. I began as a volunteer, helping teach English classes to the Lorain community but quickly moved to be a co-instructor. Currently, I am one of the three Program Coordinators of ECVI and continue organizing resources and volunteers to provide classes to the Lorain community. All the volunteering that I have done and will continue to do is in hopes to dismantle systems that make these resources necessary. Outside of these sites, I have also done Environmental Justice work back in my hometown of Las Vegas.
Wesley Kirchner
SAINT JOHNS UNIVERSITY
Political Science: Class of 2024
I came to the St. John’s community in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. Due to this I made it my top priority to get involved with campus organizations and clubs to build relationships with my peers and the school. By doing this in conjunction with the various Covid measures in place, I saw a serious need for community. Since my first year of school, it has been my vocation to improve and enliven the community. I have done so by taking positions as a student senator, a campus minister, and a frequent volunteer of our outdoor education program, OutdoorU. I have also had the privilege of being a Bonner Student Leader, which has allowed me to explore the community outside of school. With Bonner, I have engaged with several non-profits in the St. Cloud area which has expanded my understanding of what community is and what needs are present. I have also received my second fellowship from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University to pursue an internship with a non-profit or government organization this coming summer. I will use this opportunity to learn how I can turn my passion for service into a career.
Other campuses in the Bonner Network that had students recognized include: Colorado College, Centre College, Bellarmine University, Simmons University, and University of Mississippi. See the full list of Newman Civic Fellows here.