Elon sophomore named 2017 Newman Civic Fellow

Amy Belfer ’19 has been named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact in recognition of her investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities and her passion for enacting social change.

A human service studies major, Belfer is a Periclean Scholar and founder of the Hall for Change, a social justice living-learning community. She volunteers as the first director of human rights for Elon Volunteers and serves as a service captain for Habitat for Humanity, social justice co-chair for Hillel. She’s been a campus voter registration leader, has been a coordinator for Oxfam and is an active member of the local NAACP chapter. 

“By empowering others through recognizing their strengths, I work to help people to help themselves,” Belfer says. “Through my work with people who are refugees, teaching theatre class at a youth center, Habitat for Humanity, the Alamance NAACP, and various other organizations, I have learned to effectively partner with marginalized groups and speak with them, not for them.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents — representing some 6 million students — who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. Named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, the Newman Civic Fellows Award recognizes students who are passionate about making lasting change in their communities.

The fellowship is a one-year experience that provides fellows the opportunity to access in-person and virtual learning opportunities, networking events and mentoring. The fellows gather at the national, regional and state levels, including a national conference in Boston in November, and have access to self-assessment tools to help track their growth and skill development. 

Belfer, who works as a student office assistant in the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, is part of a cohort of 273 fellows selected for the 2017-18 academic year, and joins following a program redesign that will offer fellows a variety of learning and networking opportunities as well as pathways to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities. 

To learn more about Newman Civic Fellow Amy Belfer, please visit her Campus Compact profile.