Tavyonia Davis Honored as 2020 Newman Civic Fellow
SOMERS –Tavyonia Davis, a psychology and sociology major at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education. Campus Compact recently announced the names of the students who make up the organization’s 2020 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.
Davis was awarded the Newman Civic Fellows designation for being an active student leader on campus. Davis is the President of the Black Student Union (BSU), a student assistant in the LGBTQ Resource Center, an Always Reaching Upward Success Coach (ARU) for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), and an event coordinator for the office of Campus Activities and Engagement.
Tavyonia Davis
When asked if another Newman Civic Fellow made an impression on her, Davis said, “Definitely! Specifically, Zach Atkins. Seeing the type of leadership style he possesses and the way he influences and encourages others to be the best version of themselves possible surely makes an impression on the type of leader I hope to be some day.” Zach Atkins, also from UW-Parkside, was honored as a Newman Civic Fellow in 2019.
What does Davis hope to take away from this designation? “I hope to learn from the other students and resources by practicing relationship building and communication skills. I also hope to gain other tools and resources I need to be successful.”
UW-Parkside Chancellor Debbie Ford describes Davis as an incredible leader. “Tay possesses amazing leadership skills and embodies the qualities of a true servant leader in putting others’ needs before her own,” said Ford. “She may appear to be reserved and quiet but she is highly effective and admired by her peers!
The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year 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 United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
Previous Newman Civic Fellows from UW-Parkside:
- Kathryn Evans (2011-12)
- Vanessa Hope (2012-13)
- LaTierra Piphus (2013-14)
- Anh Nguyen (2014-15)
- Alexa Morgan (2015-16)
- Marley Uran (2016-17)
- Bianca Ruffolo (2017-18)
- Yoger Aguilar (2018-19)
- Zach Atkins (2019-20
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation. Learn more here.
Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1000+ colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. Campus Compact supports institutions in fulfilling their public purposes by deepening their ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. As the largest national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, we provide professional development to administrators and faculty to enable them to engage effectively, facilitate national partnerships connecting campuses with key issues in their local communities, build pilot programs to test and refine promising models in engaged teaching and scholarship, celebrate and cultivate student civic leadership, and convene higher education institutions and partners beyond higher education to share knowledge and develop collective capacity. Visit www.compact.org for more information.
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Media contact:
John Mielke
mielkej@uwp.edu
262-595-3226; 262-902-9355 cell