KOKOMO, Ind. — An Indiana University Kokomo business student earned distinction as one of the country’s top future public leaders.
Allison Hopkins is one of 268 college students nationwide selected as a 2018 Newman Civic Fellow. During the 2018-2019 academic year, she will participate in virtual and in-person learning opportunities, networking events, and mentoring, including a national conference of Fellows.
It’s an honor to represent IU Kokomo in such a prestigious program,” said Hopkins, from Tipton. “It is important to me to take what I learn from this opportunity, and use it to grow and improve the student organizations that have impacted me.”
Hopkins, IU Kokomo’s first Newman Civic Fellow, serves as president of Enactus, a student organization that uses an entrepreneurial approach to develop projects to address campus and community needs. She’s also a senator for the Student Government Organization, and participated in the campus’ Social Entrepreneurship Exploration (S.E.E.) program, traveling to England with that class.
Karla Stouse, who leads the S.E.E. program, recommended Hopkins for Chancellor Susan Sciame-Giesecke’s nomination, because of the mentoring program to help refugees and immigrants adjust to the U.S. Hopkins and her team developed as a result of their experience.
Sciame-Giesecke noted that Hopkins has been involved on campus since her freshman year.
Social justice is important to Allison,” Sciame-Giesecke said. “Recognizing that hunger is an issue everywhere, even for some of her fellow students, she has helped to run the on-campus food pantry, and taught professional development to women residing in our local domestic violence shelter. Developing her [S.E.E.] model has inspired her to continue to look for new and innovative ways to help people.”
Hopkins is excited for the professional development and networking opportunities she will have through the year.
“I’m sure I will make amazing connections, meeting the others Fellows and learning from what they are doing on their campuses,” she said. “We will do a lot of training about how to work with public officials and local governments, to do better projects, and get projects moving. Hopefully I can use the experience to benefit other students, by growing Enactus and learning ways to improve student government. Through those programs, we can impact a lot of students.”
She’s majoring in marketing and management, with a minor in new media, art, and technology. Her career aspiration is to work for a small company that emphasizes community service.
Hopkins encourages other students to explore student life opportunities, and find their niche.
“Involvement opens a lot of doors you never would have expected,” she said. “I would never have been nominated for this fellowship without being in Enactus for so many years, and in student government. I wouldn’t have known about the S.E.E. program if someone I met through my involvement.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for community-committed college students from institutions that are members of Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education — building democracy through civic education and community development.
Presidents and chancellors of these institutions nominate students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country and abroad. Fellows may access exclusive scholarships and post-graduate opportunities as alumni.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.