CSB’s Kuhl, SJU’s Johnson named 2018 Newman Civic Fellows

Two political science majors from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have been named 2018 Newman Civic Fellows by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education.

CSB junior Mackenzie Kuhl and SJU junior Peter Johnson were part of a cohort that included 268 students from four- and two-year colleges and universities across the country. That number includes 12 students from Minnesota colleges and universities.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth.

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 access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

Kuhl, a junior from Dubuque, Iowa, completed internships with the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, and HealthEast in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In January 2017, Kuhl was part of the Extending the Link student documentary team that took her to Hong Kong and China to document the topic of electronic waste. Kuhl is also the student coordinator for  the Bonner Leader Program at CSB and SJU.

She assisted physically and mentally disabled residents of Sanitorio Maritimo in Viña del Mar, Chile, while studying abroad. Kuhl has also advocated for Bring it to Table, an organization that encourages civil dialogue.

“Through all of this, I continue to learn the importance of compassion, honesty, respect and vulnerability within the engagement I share with those around me,” Kuhl said.

Johnson, a junior by way of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, has dedicated his service around issues of hunger and homelessness in the local community.

On campus, Johnson facilitates a program which aims to end food waste and hunger in central Minnesota by repurposing food from dining centers and distributing it to various organizations throughout the community.

Johnson is also part of the Bonner Leader Program at CSB and SJU.

“Additionally, I have contributed to other efforts on campus which have goals of combating hunger and homelessness in central Minnesota and raising awareness for the issues,” Johnson said.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of over 1,000 colleges and universities, and is the largest national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement.