Alvernia University student Ashley Tomlinson, of Mountville, Pa., has been named a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact. Tomlinson is highly involved in service leadership through the university's Holleran Center for Community & Global Engagement.

“Ashley is an inspiring young woman with clear ability in civic engagement and a sincere desire to seek long-term solutions for social issues,” said Alvernia President Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D.

A junior working towards her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree, Tomlinson has directed a variety of community engagement activities for campus peers and has been highly involved in the university’s South Reading Youth Initiative — a mentoring and leadership development program for inner-city youth. For her Senior Scholar project and honors thesis, Tomlinson worked to create an HIV and AIDS prevention education program for the community.

As a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Tomlinson will be member of the first cohort to benefit from a completely re-designed fellowship experience emphasizing 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 U.S. Senate. The fellowship also provides participants with pathways to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“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.”

Newman Civic Fellowships are named for Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact who had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens prepared to make a difference.

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