OHIO student Maya Meade awarded Newman Civic Fellowship

Ohio College junior Maya Meade has been awarded the celebrated 2022 Newman Civic Fellowship.

A journalism main and political science minor, Meade can be pursuing certificates in ladies’s, gender, and sexuality research, and political communication. She was nominated to the fellowship by President Hugh Sherman due to her social activism and tutorial achievements.

“With the sources and assist of the Newman Civic Fellowship, Maya will proceed to develop her imaginative and prescient for her mission and work,” Sherman wrote in his letter nominating Meade. “Once more, I proudly nominate her for this chance on behalf of Ohio College.”

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a nationwide year-long program that acknowledges and helps community-committed college students who’ve demonstrated an funding to find options for challenges dealing with communities all through the nation. The fellowship is a part of Campus Compact, a nationwide coalition of schools and universities dedicated to the general public functions of upper schooling. Meade will likely be amongst a cohort of 173 college students from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico.

The fellowship is designed to supply a civic engagement studying alternative, the place the guy identifies an issue of their group and works to create an answer. Meade has but to determine on a civic concern, however she is contemplating tasks that may make Athens extra accessible to individuals with disabilities or a program that would assist stop gun violence.

Due partially to its growing older infrastructure, Athens lacks accessibility for individuals with disabilities, in keeping with Meade. “That is a matter that I recognized,” she mentioned. “Having a incapacity doesn’t imply you shouldn’t have pals or have the ability to do issues on campus.” This can be a longstanding concern for Meade who, whereas at OHIO, began the College’s chapter of Finest Buddies, a corporation that gives alternatives for individuals with mental and developmental disabilities.

She can be contemplating creating an area chapter of Everytown for Gun Security, the biggest gun violence prevention group within the nation. Although Meade has not personally skilled gun violence, it’s nonetheless a problem that’s of utmost significance to her.

“It’s not if you’ll be concerned in a capturing however when,” she mentioned. “I do know that’s horrible, but it surely’s scary for me.”

Meade will select a school member for the fellowship to implement the venture.

That is the second time an Ohio College pupil has acquired this recognition. The present fellow is Micaela Beatham-García, a senior learning pre-law and director of the ACLU of Ohio College, the one ACLU chapter in Southeast Ohio.

Campus Compact is hoping to convene the 2022 Newman Civic Fellows at a nationwide convention in Boston, Mass., this fall.

Campus Compact additionally operates a statewide chapter, which just lately awarded the Charles J. Ping Award, which acknowledges and honors college students’ management and contributions to group service. The award was given to Ohio College Lancaster pupil McKenzie Taylor, amongst different undergraduate pupil leaders throughout Ohio.

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