PCC Student Is NC State’s First Newman Fellow

By Julie Watterson and Cameron Walker

NC State senior Ashle Page, a student in the College Of Textiles (COT), has been named a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow for her record of outstanding service and leadership.

This prestigious recognition, awarded to just 273 students nationwide, provides fellows with access to in-person and virtual learning opportunities, networking events and mentoring. The fellowship is administered by Campus Compact, a national higher education association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities devoted to civic engagement.

The Newman Civic Fellowship honors students throughout the country who are working to solve challenges facing their communities. Named for Campus Compact founder Frank Newman, the fellowship provides a year-long training experience aimed at helping students develop skills and strategies to effect positive local social change.

In 2016, Page, who graduates May 13,  was honored at the state level by North Carolina Campus Compact, an affiliate network of 37 colleges and universities with a shared commitment to civic engagement. Page was one of 25 North Carolina students selected for the 2016 honor, joining more than 200 local college students recognized by the network since 2006.

Faculty and staff at NC State are proud of her outstanding achievements both in and out of the classroom. According to Chancellor Randy Woodson, who nominated Page for the award, she is an engaged, effective community leader.

“Her leadership often merges her interests in public policy and science,” he said. “She serves as a mentor to elementary and middle school students for NASA GIRLS and BOYS, an organization connected with NC State and NASA. She has also served for four years as an ambassador for the Institute for Emerging Issues, a non-partisan public policy organization which engages the North Carolina community in issues important to the state.”

Despite a demanding course load as a senior majoring in both polymer color chemistry and chemical engineering, Page has made volunteer work a priority. As a COT Centennial Scholar, she served as a leader of NC State’s Service Raleigh organization, helping to orchestrate an annual day of service that connects over 2,000 volunteers with nearly 100 non-profit community partners, including food banks, schools, animal shelters and parks.

“Serving on the committee and as co-chair (2015-2016 school year), I had the opportunity to work with community leaders and NC State students to increase service partnerships in our community and to engage our base of volunteers beyond campus bounds,” said Page.

She has also served as a Chancellor’s Aide, promoting a positive image of NC State to current and future students, alumni and friends.

“It is truly an honor to serve for the chancellor,” she said. “Representing Chancellor Woodson, his staff, and the student body at many of NC State’s engagement activities, I have the opportunity to interact with university donors that invest in me and other students, with university leaders who work tirelessly to create a dynamic learning environment for the university and with alumni and NC State friends who have so much passion for the Wolfpack family.”

While she has focused on serving locally, she has also made an impact abroad. Since her freshman year, she has served on the University Standing Committee on International Programs, working to increase international student engagement.

“I have a passion for helping STEM students gain international experiences,” she said, noting that it can be more difficult for these students to study or serve abroad given the rigor of their course load.

For the last four summers, Page, who is also a member of the Goodnight Scholars, has interned at NASA. In this position, she was able to utilize her skill set to research, work on projects and learn the practical applications of her studies.

“NASA represents curiosity, allowing us to learn more about the world around us,” she said. “Technology created at NASA not only helps in studying space, it is found in so many aspects of our daily lives from the material in our shoes to our cars and phones. Over the course of the past four years, I have had the opportunity to research materials for aerospace structures, self-healing materials, green manufacturing processes, and even using polystyrene as a method of testing the safety of aircraft. It was incredible to work in a dynamic environment on applications that will help individuals both on Earth and in space.”

She also served as the lead ambassador of NC State’s Institute for Emerging Issues Commons Ambassador Program, a service internship for which she developed an educational program to help individuals utilize the institute’s data sets to learn and share ideas about their communities. The program consists of an on-site and online program that can be accessed by teachers everywhere.

“For example, kids can view the average amount of CO2 emitted in their county annually and compare it to other counties and the U.S.,” said Page.

After graduation this spring, Page will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.

For more information regarding the Newman Civic Fellowship visit: http://compact.org/newman-civic-fellow/

For more further details about North Carolina Campus Compact visit: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/org/nccc/