Campus News
Westminster Student Named a Newman Civic Fellow
Carolina Silva recognized by Campus Compact for community outreach
SALT LAKE CITY – Campus Compact has named Westminster sophomore Carolina Silva as a Newman Civic Fellow. Silva is one of just 162 students nationwide and only one of two Utah students to be honored with the distinguished recognition.
Campus Compact is a national organization that aims to improve community life and promote student engagement in civic and social responsibility. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards recognizes inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country.
“This award has opened a new door in terms of national civic involvement, and it has connected me with a community of civically engaged students nationwide,” said Silva. “I hope to use this recognition to pursue bigger-scale projects in the future.”
Believing education is the most direct path to success, Silva is active in several education-based initiatives. She created a tutoring program called Little Griffins in a local Title 1 elementary school. Silva says the Newman Civic Fellowship is recognition of all the tutors in Little Griffins who have kept the program going and is an example of how a few dedicated individuals can make a difference.
Silva has been a teaching assistant at Youth City, Hawthorne Elementary, and the Math Math Revolution Camp. She also serves as a mentor at Westminster and with Ocho Pasos, a gang intervention and educational program within the juvenile justice system. In addition to schools, Carolina has volunteered at the Westminster organic garden, the Theatre Society, Circle K, and Habitat for Humanity.
“Educating individuals from an early age to be socially conscious is just one way to attain civically engaged citizens, which is my goal,” said Silva. “I’ve met so many inspiring individuals through service. I gain as much as the people I work with because we work on a mutual understanding to better our community as a whole.”
“Carolina’s recognition as a Newman Fellow is thrilling news for Westminster College,” said Julie Tille, director of Westminster’s Center for Civic Engagement. “Carolina's dedicated service during her time at Westminster and the positive impact it has made in our local community makes this recognition well deserved. Her work represents the value Westminster places on the role of civic engagement in a student's education.”
Campus Compact is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million+ students—who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education, that is, to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit www.compact.org.
Media Contacts: Krista DeAngelis and Arikka Von (801) 832-2682
April 13, 2012
About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.
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