North Carolina Campus Compact recognized the public health studies major with its 2014 Community Impact Student Award.
Elon University senior Meredith Berk has been recognized for outstanding leadership and service by North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities that are committed to community engagement.
Berk, a public health studies major from Glen Ellyn, Ill., is one of 18 recipients of the network’s 2014 Community Impact Student Award, which annually honors one student leader at each member school. More than 200 college students have been honored by the organization since the award was first presented in 2006.
At Elon, Berk has been an active leader, supporting key programs of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement as well as broader efforts to engage students in issues of the day. As the Kernodle Center’s student director of international Alternative Break programs, Berk leads a team of student coordinators, serves as teaching assistant for the associated leadership development course, and provides direction to a program that engages 300 students each year.
As Elon’s inaugural Andrew Goodman Fellow, Berk developed a new partnership with the Department of Political Science and Policy Studies, won a grant from NC Campus Compact to promote Elon’s TurboVote voter registration site, and led voter registration efforts for the 2014 midterm elections.
“Meredith embodies our mindset of ‘students as colleagues’ and strives for excellence in all she does,” said Evan Small, assistant director of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. “She’s willing to learn, open to new ideas, and dedicated to engaging others.”
Berk and other award winners will be honored in Raleigh at North Carolina Campus Compact’s annual student conference on Nov. 8, 2014, at NC State University. Now in its 21st year, the 2014 conference will convene 180 student leaders from 25 campuses in five states, offering participants a slate of workshops focused on leadership best practices and community issues.
North Carolina Campus Compact is a collaborative network of colleges and universities with a shared commitment to educating engaged citizens and strengthening communities. Guided by an executive board of presidents and chancellors, the Compact supports member schools through professional development and resources related to civic and community engagement.
The Compact was founded in 2002 and is hosted by Elon University.