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Brianna Egers of Jersey City, a junior majoring in marketing at William Paterson University in Wayne, is one of 273 students in the nation and one of only five in New Jersey to receive the 2017 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award for civic engagement.
Egers received the award for showing her strong commitment to the ideals of Compass Compact, a national coalition of nearly 1,000 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education.
The fellowship honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors are annually invited to nominate one community-committed student from their institution for the fellowship. 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 United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
“Brianna embodies the ideals of civic engagement by serving her campus and surrounding community, and encouraging others to follow her lead,” says Kathleen Waldron, president of William Paterson University. “She coordinated service activities for Liberty Humane Society and Oasis, a Haven for Women and Children, and is a One Love Foundation Facilitator to raise awareness about sexual assault. She has participated in more than 35 University civic engagement activities at local community soup kitchens, pantries, park clean-ups and senior centers. She also shares the knowledge and experience she has gained in the classroom by mentoring high school students with mock interviews and professional interpersonal skills.”
Egers became involved with service as a freshman, and by her second semester on campus, she held leadership position with the Student Government Association and Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity. She serves as a peer mentor for the University’s First-Year Seminar and Pioneer Leadership Institute emerging leaders program, encouraging students to serve, and has been instrumental in helping new students adjust to campus life and develop their leadership skills. As a recipient of the Student Government's Rising Star Award, she demonstrates leadership, involvement, service to the university and community with the potential for future service to William Paterson and beyond.
Egers says her involvement with community service inspired her to become a campus leader. “As a peer leader and mentor with the Pioneer Leadership Institute, I help transition first year students into college, and emphasize the importance of how developing personal leadership and being civically engaged uplifts the community,” she says. “I want to continue to share my passion for service.”
The award honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education.
