Colleen Steward ’19, a dedicated member of Colleges Against Cancer student club and an aspiring medical researcher who wants to focus on fighting cancer, has been named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2017.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long fellowship for community-committed college students from institutions that are members of the Campus Compact. Chosen students are considered tireless advocates for civic engagement in higher education, who are invested in finding solutions to challenges facing communities throughout the United State and abroad. As a fellow, Steward will attend a national conference with fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and other networking opportunities.
Steward is the Mission and Advocacy chair for the Geneseo chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, which organizes the annual Relay For Life on campus. The highly successful event is among the most successful in the country. In her role, Steward spreads awareness and promotes social activism on campus. She is also a GOLD program mentor, vice president of the Geneseo chapter of the international service organization Circle K, and is a supplemental instructor for general biology.
“Now and in the future,” Steward has said, “I hope to fight for better cancer treatments, community involvement, and civic engagement.” Steward says she watched family members battle cancer and beyond the disease, it is difficult due to the cost of treatments, transportation and support.
In her nomination of Steward, Geneseo President Denise Battles said, “she has been a tireless advocate for others, a bridge builder in a world so in need of personal connections, and a campus and community difference maker.”