Apr 6, 2017 – Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 273 students who will make up the organization’s 2017 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows, including Middlesex Community College’s own Sarah Lombardo of Middletown, Conn.
Lombardo, who received an associate degree in general studies from MxCC in May 2016, completed two internships for the college’s Magic Food Bus, a food pantry that helps address food insecurity on campus.
“Through my research and experiences in visiting other agencies that work to alleviate hunger, I gained an understanding of how to organize a pantry, the intake process, how best to meet the needs of shoppers and, most importantly, how to impact communities for change,” said Lombardo, who will receive her associate degree in human services from MxCC in May 2017.
“Sarah’s leadership in addressing food insecurity on our college campus and her work with the homeless population in our community reflects her commitment to social change and her demonstrated motivation to encourage civic engagement among our students, faculty and staff. She learned the complexities of a start-up project and never lost sight of the ultimate goal: to ensure student success through meeting basic needs,” added MxCC President Anna Wasescha.
As a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Lombardo will be a part of the first cohort to benefit from a completely redesigned fellowship. The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
“The cultivation of community-committed leaders has never been more crucial,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “We rebuilt the Newman Civic Fellowship experience because our country needs more people who know how to bring communities together for positive change. We are thrilled to welcome this group of 273 exemplary students as the first cohort to participate in this new model.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.
