Junior Jenna Mayer Selected As Newman Civic Fellow
Jenna Mayer, a junior at WFU, was named a 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellow.
Jenna Mayer, a junior from Hopatcong, N.J., is among the 290 students selected for Campus Compact’s 2020-21 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows, selected for their leadership and civic engagement initiatives on campus.
Campus Compact is a Boston-based nonprofit organization that is working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience that emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth for student leaders who demonstrate an interest in solving public problems.
Mayer, a double major in Politics and International Affairs and Elementary Education, devotes her time to reducing educational inequities throughout the Winston-Salem area through after-school programs with local middle schools and Wake Forest University student government.
“Through my role as Student Government’s Campus Life committee co-chair, which is responsible for improving the quality of life on campus regarding student services and social concerns, both myself and fellow co-chair Meredith Happy began an engagement project between Student Government and Paisley Magnet a local middle school. Through this partnership, we were able to launch the Paisley Leadership Academy for sixth graders,” explained Mayer in nomination materials. “The school expressed a need for after-school programming for those students, so in launching the Paisley Leadership Academy, we have focused on building leadership skills with themes such as character traits, professionalism, and community building.”
Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch noted in his letter to the Fellows selection committee that, “Jenna has been a community-minded student since arriving at Wake Forest, bringing her passion for community engagement and support into all that she does on campus, in her leadership post as co-chair of the Student Life Committee within Student Government, and with her future aspirations.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman. Fellows receive access to 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 recipients with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1,000-plus colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. The organization supports institutions in fulfilling their public purposes by deepening their ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility.