McKendree University's Jessica Lirios is a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow
Campus Compact Honors Community-Committed College Students
(LEBANON, Ill., April 3, 2017) — McKendree University senior Jessica Lirios, of Greenville,
Ill., has been announced as a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow for her motivation and commitment
to social change. She is one of 273 inspirational college students in 39 states honored
this year by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance
the public purposes of higher education.
Students are nominated by their college and university presidents. McKendree University
President James Dennis described Lirios as “an outstanding student who has used her
education and life experiences to become a campus leader in community service and
activism.”
Lirios is part of the McKendree Community Action Team (McCAT), a group committed to
of service and leadership. Through McCAT, she coordinated a volunteer program working
with children living at the Family Living Center, a transitional living center in
East St. Louis. She has also worked with homeless veteran women, Hispanic students,
and at risk college students.
Her interest in civic engagement was sparked, she says, by mission trips she took
as a member of First Christian Church in Greenville. The psychology major believes
various aspects of her life have helped her to develop a broadened worldview and an
activist’s spirit. “My ethnic background teaches me to appreciate cultural differences.
My Christian faith leads me to care deeply for others,” she said. “My study abroad
experience taught me about cross-cultural leadership. My studies of psychology help
me to better understand people and the way the human mind thinks, processes and motivates.
My community service involvement guides me to learn first and then seek truly helpful
ways to serve. The people that lead and support me ceaselessly encourage me to positively
impact this world.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for community-committed college
students from nearly 1,000 Campus Compact member institutions, representing some 6
million students. Newman Fellows have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions
for challenges facing communities throughout the country.
As a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Lirios will be a part of the first cohort to benefit
from a completely re-designed fellowship, a one-year experience emphasizing personal,
professional, and civic growth. Learning and networking opportunities include a national
conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute
for the United States Senate.
“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.
For more information, visit compact.org.
Jessica Lirios
-McK-
