Averett University sophomore, Jordan Jones, has been named as one of 268 college students across the country as a Newman Civic Fellow. The fellowship is hosted by Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, of which Averett is now a member of the Virginia chapter.
The fellowship is a year-long program that recognizes and supports community-committed students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. Jones, nominated for the program by Averett University President Dr. Tiffany M. Franks, will begin her term as a fellow in the fall semester, and will travel to Boston this November and connect with other fellows in various ways throughout the year.
“This fellowship is going to be something that puts me out of my comfort zone so that I can learn how to progress not only as a student, but also as an individual,” said Jones. “It makes me extremely excited, not just to represent Averett, but for what I personally stand for. It gives me motivation to strive to be the best person I can be.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, emphasizes 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 apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities. This is the first year Averett, as a new member of VA Campus Compact, was eligible to nominate a student for the award.
“In only her second year at Averett, Jordan has already exemplified our mission of preparing students to serve and lead as catalysts for positive change,” said Franks, who is also a member of the VA Campus Compact Advisory Board. “She exhibits maturity beyond her years, and is passionate about ensuring all students have equitable access to educational opportunities. She is a phenomenal representative of Averett University.”
Jones is a National Bonner Leader at Averett, a four-year service leadership program, and is active in regional social justice issues pertaining to education access. As a Bonner, she works with Noblis (a non-profit strategy organization focusing on creative solutions) and Danville Public Schools to make higher education more tangible for seventh graders through college visits and mentorships. She also volunteered in Averett’s Teach it Forward! program, in which she served as an after-school tutor at a Danville Redevelopment Housing Authority site for a few elementary school students. Additionally, she is working with Danville’s chapter of History United to explore and dissect the local Civil Rights history that has subsequently led to the educational achievement gap.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate and engage with such an extraordinary group of students,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are bringing people together in their communities to solve pressing problems. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.
