St. Norbert College Student Named Newman Civic Fellow

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From St. Norbert College, April 12, 2016
by Erich Wegenke, erich.wegenke@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

St. Norbert College junior Maria Sauer (Whitewater, Wis.), a sociology major with a concentration in human services, has been named a 2016 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities dedicated to campus-based civic engagement.

Sauer is one of 218 students who were named Newman Civic Fellows in 2016. In her time at St. Norbert College, she has regularly volunteered with Freedom House Ministries, a Green Bay organization that provides emergency housing and childcare, and has co-led a group of students on a spring break volunteering trip to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. She is the founder and president of Knights Against Trafficking, a campus organization dedicated to raising awareness about issues of human trafficking, and co-founder of the St. Norbert College chapter of Party.0, a group that organizes alcohol-free parties for students. Sauer is currently an intern at the college's Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice & Public Understanding.
"Maria's motivation for solidarity and to respect the human dignity of all is what compels her to a future in social work," said St. Norbert College president Thomas Kunkel, who nominated Sauer for the Newman Civic Fellow award. "Being able to connect with communities and hear their needs and then discover ways to meet those needs not only on the surface, but in the roots, is a gift that Maria has demonstrated through her college career."

"Through serving my community at an elementary school, homeless shelter, and St. Norbert College's alternative break program as a participant and trip leader, I have been challenged to recognize systemic issues that face my community," Sauer said in a personal statement on the Campus Compact website. "I have taken steps to address root causes to issues and to build lasting changes."

The Newman Civic Fellows Awards were created in memory of Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, who dedicated his life to creating change through education reform. The awards honor the achievements of undergraduate and graduate student leaders who have taken action in pursuit of long-term social change, and who engage and inspire others in their communities through service, research and advocacy. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards are made possible through the generous support of the KPMG Foundation and the Newman's Own Foundation.

For more information on Campus Compact and the Newman Civic Fellows, visit http://www.compact.org. A full list of this year's Newman Civic Fellows can be found at http://compact.org/newman-civic-fellow/.