Jennifer Wess Receives Exclusive Scholarship to Study in Nation's Capitol

2017 Jun 14

Nazareth College student and Williamsville native Jennifer Wess, a current Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow, is spending the early part of her summer in the nation's capital as the recipient of an exclusive scholarship. She is one of only five Newman Civic Fellows who earned a scholarship to support her participation in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute's Leadership and the American Presidency Summer 2017 program.

Leadership and the American Presidency (LTAP) is a program designed to develop the next generation of citizen leaders. In the LTAP program, students take an accredited course grounded in real history where they critically examine the leadership journeys of presidents in relation to their own lives. Students hear from real leaders in the fields of business, government, and the nonprofit sectors learning lessons on leadership, while simultaneously applying all of these skills in the real world in an internship setting and in authentic course assignments. Utilizing Washington, DC as a classroom, presidential sites are leveraged to capitalize upon power of place, resulting in a meaningful and transformative leadership experience for students.

Wess, a junior at Nazareth College, is a student leader active in the College's Partners for Serving program, an innovative co-curricular service program that focuses on poverty reduction, education, and community empowerment by building partnerships with schools, education centers, and human service organizations. She is a valued contributor to Rochester's efforts to reduce the number of individuals experiencing homelessness, in particular the youngest of our community who are living in extreme poverty. For the past three years, she has worked closely with after school programs and transitional homes such as Sojourner House and Community Place to promote education and a positive mental health for youth.

Campus Compact's Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community- committed students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. A shared mission of fostering student civic learning and problem solving unites Campus Compact and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, who partner to provide dedicated scholarships to Newman Civic Fellows for their demonstrated commitment to public service and civic engagement.