SJC Student Earns Newman Civic Fellows Award

April 08, 2016

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – April 8, 2016 – St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that Shannon Stephens ’17 has been chosen to receive the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award that honors inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. 

“Shannon Stephens is a student leader who has demonstrated a commitment and dedication to helping people affected by tragedy, both locally and abroad,” said Jack P. Calareso, Ph.D., president of St. Joseph’s College. “An articulate and academically successful college student, Shannon believes it is her calling and responsibility to help those less fortunate through education and opportunities.”

Through service, research and advocacy, Newman Civic Fellows make the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change. These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders, and serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building a better world. 

“I believe that it is my calling and responsibility to help those around me with the education and opportunities I have been given,” said Stephens. “Through my leadership roles at SJC, I have helped organize local projects all over Long Island. In addition to volunteering throughout the local community, I have utilized my positions on campus to raise awareness for educating girls worldwide and developed my own mobile education project to combat the issues surrounding the education system in Cambodia.”

Newman Civic Fellows are recommended by college and university presidents to acknowledge motivation and ability in public leadership. Newman Civic Fellows Awards are made in memory of Frank Newman, who dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform. 

“Shannon's focus on identifying solutions that positively affect the human plight, have allowed her to make meaningful contributions within her local community and in two countries,” said Dr. Calareso. “I believe that this courageous and impassioned leader will continue to make meaningful contributions to our global society.”                                                                 

Shannon Stephens is a Bayport-Blue Point High School alumna currently majoring in accounting and criminal justice at SJC Long Island in Patchogue, New York. She plans to attend law school.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online, the College offers degrees in more than 45 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.