The Newman Civic Fellows Award honors inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. Through service, research, and advocacy, Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change. These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does play in building a better world.

Newman Civic Fellows are nominated by college and university presidents to acknowledge motivation and ability in public leadership. Newman Civic Fellows awards are made in memory of Frank Newman, who dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform. Frank Newman’s leadership was selfless, optimistic, and determined, spanning an incredible career of more than five decades.

2011 Newman Civic Fellows - Missouri

	Justin McDermott - Truman State University Justin McDermott, a junior at Truman State University, is actively involved in health education and awareness nationwide.  He has lobbied on behalf of the CDC and serves as the state-wide representative for Campus-Community Alliances for Smoke-Free Environments.  He teaches workshops to youth in juvenile lock-up, at pregnancy care centers and at the Latino Youth Action Center. He also teaches smoking cessation classes and is a certified Arthritis Foundation Exercise Instructor.  His community-based research focuses on local tobacco control initiatives, improving area youth’s health promotion behaviors, analyzing the learning climate in local schools, and increasing diabetes management of area seniors.
	Hannah Minchow-Proffitt - Westminster College Hannah Minchow-Proffitt, a junior at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, is committed to spreading awareness about human trafficking and sustainable giving. Through her involvement in the Rwanda Community Partnership Project (RCPP) and other social justice centered campus organizations, she has become passionate about the future of the micro-financing revolution taking place in the non-profit sector and hopes to expand the RCPP to include more micro-loan projects in Rwanda.  The human trafficking cause has also become a passion for Hannah, resulting in her planning and implementation of a community art auction to raise funds for Polaris Project, a leading anti-slavery organization.
	Akhila Narla - Washington University in St. Louis Akhila Narla, a junior at Washington University in St. Louis, is committed to fostering connections that provide health resources for historically disadvantaged populations. She works on health lesson plan development for underserved youth, projects concerning international maternal /child health, and health promotion in rural villages through economic empowerment. Collaborating with a community-based, grassroots NGO in Uganda already linked to a school student group, she co-founded the non-profit organization Crafts By Youth (www.craftsbyyouth.org) to partner with local student groups and stores that fundraise alongside the young rural Ugandan artisans lacking basic requisites for health by selling their environmentally-friendly jewelry.