West Virginia State University Student Honored as Newman Civic Fellow

4/25/2019

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Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
 
   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. --  West Virginia State University (WVSU) junior biology major Ky’Achia Atkins has been named a 2019-2020 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education.

Atkins was one of only 262 students nationwide selected for this honor.

“Ky’Achia is a wonderful ambassador for our University always willing to pitch in for the good of the community regardless of the mission,” said WVSU President Anthony L. Jenkins. “Ky’Achia has made a difference at our University, exemplified the mission of the University, and has positively impacted the people around her.”

The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems.

“I have always been action oriented and believe that whatever I do, and where ever I go, I should make a difference,” Atkins said. “I first became involved in campus and community advocacy through being president of the NAACP chapter at WVSU and my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, because I saw the need. I believe it is important to make a difference and to show that your community matters on and off campus.”

Through the Newman Civic 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.

“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year's Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. 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. Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.