Gabrielle Szydlowski, Wittenberg class of 2020, has been named a Campus Compact 2019聽Newman聽Civic聽Fellow. She will join 262聽community-minded students representing the organization鈥檚 member colleges and universities from 41 states, Washington, D.C.,聽Mexico, and Greece.
Szydlowski, from Twinsburg, Ohio, is an education major and psychology minor. Active and engaged on campus, she is also a Kappa Delta Pi education honors student, a member of and vice president of recruitment and marketing for her 
sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, vice president of the Wittenberg Student Dance Company, is involved in Mortar Board, and a student coordinator for the recent American College Dance Association East-Central Conference, which Wittenberg hosted.
鈥淚 want to be a teacher so that I can be an agent of social change,鈥� Szydlowski said.聽 鈥淎s a Newman Civic Fellow, I hope to continue building my own understanding of existing barriers to student success in K-12 education and then find ways to address them, hands-on, in my career as a teacher. It is my goal to be an educator, a friend, a mentor, a role model. It is my greatest hope that my students will always know that I am there for them. I work diligently to make each day and experience count, and I look forward to working with other Newman Fellows who share my passion for creating solutions and serving others.鈥�
The聽Newman聽Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program of Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization that recognizes and supports community-committed students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. The fellowship is named in honor of Frank聽Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders, and is supported by the KPMG Foundation and by the聽Newman's Own Foundation.
鈥淚 am impressed by the level of dedication Gabby has given to her academics and to community engagement,鈥� Wittenberg President Michael L. Frandsen said. 鈥淲hile being selected for participation in the program provides Gabby an excellent opportunity to build her own capacity for civic leadership and for her continued investigation of important societal problems and models for creating positive social change, Gabby is also an asset to Campus Compact, The Newman Civic Fellowship program, and to the student fellows representing member institutions from around the country.鈥�
Being a Newman聽Civic聽Fellow gives Szydlowski access to exclusive virtual and in-person learning opportunities during the 2019-2020 academic year for the duration of the one-year fellowship term. The Newman聽Civic聽Fellowship supports the next generation of public problem solvers in their personal, professional, and聽civic growth, while providing a variety of exclusive opportunities and events for聽fellows, including a national conference of聽Newman聽Civic Fellows in Boston, Massachusetts, this November.
鈥淕abby is an articulate, thoughtful, and intuitive young woman and, as such, she was selected without hesitation,鈥� said Brian Yontz, professor of education at Wittenberg. 鈥淒uring her time at Wittenberg, Gabby has demonstrated her wide range of leadership-level capabilities while working in the classroom with local schools, as an officer in her Greek organization, and as a two-time university representative to Propel Ohio, Ohio Campus Compact's co-sponsored state and regional gatherings hosted in conjunction with Senator Sherrod Brown. I'm totally sold on Gabby being one that is committing her life to social change in the world of education. I think the Newman Civic Fellowship will give her a framework and some space to 铿乶e tune this passion and provide a network for her to take the next steps. I think the Newman Civic Fellowship is the perfect opportunity for her to contribute.鈥�
