The College of New Rochelle Senior Akosuah Agyei Named Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact

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Akosuah Agyei of The College of New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (03/28/2012)(readMedia)-- Akosuah Agyei, a senior in the School of Arts & Sciences at The College of New Rochelle, has been awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship for 2012. She is one of only 162 college student leaders from 32 states to be selected by Campus Compact for the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1,200 college and university presidents-representing some 6 million plus students-who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education, that is, to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility.

The Newman Civic Fellows are students who have demonstrated a personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Akosuah Agyei, who graduates from The College of New Rochelle this May, is in the Honors Program and a double major in biology and chemistry. She was chosen by Campus Compact for demonstrating the type of civic engagement that sets an example for others.

Embarking on a fundraising mission through Model United Nations to help Ghanaian women who cannot afford surgical costs, Akosuah volunteered during breaks in her junior year at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, educating and preparing women with obstetric fistula for surgery. Last June, as part of CNR's service program she helped to establish a summer camp for young girls in the West Virginia Appalachians. This summer, she plans to offer another camp experience for young girls living in abject poverty.

According to Campus Compact Board Chair James B. Dworkin, chancellor at Purdue University North Central, students like Akosuah Agyei "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."

Akosuah, who was born in Ghana, was raised in Latham in upstate New York. "Being selected as someone to receive the Newman's Civic Award for CNR means a lot to me," she says. "The award is a testimony that I can stretch forth my hand with God as my guide to make others feel welcomed and worthy of service. I am honored to have been given this prestigious award."