Rogers State University senior Autumn Fourkiller has earned recognition as a 2019 Newman Civic Fellow, a one-year national fellowship that emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth.
A public affairs/political science major from Stilwell, Fourkiller is one of 262 students nationwide named as a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides 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 pathways to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
RSU President Dr. Larry Rice nominated Fourkiller for the Fellowship based on her demonstrated campus leadership and commitment to improving her community through civic engagement.
A member of RSU’s Honors Program, Fourkiller is a past president of RSU’s Student Government Association and has been an active participant in events to raise political awareness at the campus and state level. One of her passions has been increasing voter registration.
“I was raised by a mother that considered voting not only a duty, but a privilege, one that was not to be taken lightly,” she said. “My mother passed this respect of the institution on to me, though I could not have imagined as a child that the bulk of my undergraduate volunteer hours would be committed to helping others register to vote, serving on Rock the Vote committees, and pestering friends and strangers alike about sample ballots.”
This year, she served as the RSU SGA’s Election Commission Chairperson, as well as a member of the Oklahoma Campus Compact (OKCC) Campus Vote Advisory Committee. She also has served an internship at the Cherokee County Election Board, an experience that helped combine her two passions of voting and serving Native American communities.
“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation. Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship.