Fisher Student Named 2018 Newman Civic Fellow

St. John Fisher College student Josh Miles ’19 was selected to participate in the 2018 Newman Civic Fellowship. Organized by Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, the fellowship is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional, and civic growth.

An inclusive adolescence education major with an impressive 3.84 GPA, Miles is a Service Scholar who completes 200 hours of community service each year. Through the program, he became involved with the local Pencils and Paper Initiative, which provides free school supplies to teachers working in high poverty districts. There, he assists teachers twice a week in the retail section of the store and on campus, he has become a project advocate working to recruit more students as volunteers.

Miles is also launching a new club at the College called Best Buddies, which will help students with learning or intellectual disabilities become more involved at Fisher as well as the broader community. Off campus, Josh volunteers for Holy Childhood, his local church, and a variety of soccer camps.

In addition to his volunteer commitments, Miles serves as a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions, regularly guiding tours for prospective students and their families, and works as a tutor for members of the freshman class.  He also works part-time at Heritage Christian Services, a non-profit organization that assists children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“Josh exemplifies the motto of our Basilian Founding Fathers, ‘Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge,’ through his own actions and through his drive to spread the practice of service to others,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the College, who nominated Miles for the award. “I am confident that he would not only serve as a wonderful representative of Fisher but of the program as well.”

Through the Newman Civic Fellowship, which is named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, students will engage in a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.