As a member of the 2018 cohort of fellows, the English major will have access to training and resources that will help him serve as an effective agent of change in addressing public problems and building equitable communities.
Maurice Rippel '19 has been named a 2018 Newman Civic Fellow. That fellowship, which recognizes and supports students who demonstrate an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities across the United States, is a one-year experience that offers in-person and virtual learning opportunities, networking events, and mentoring, and is run by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit that works to advance the public purposes of higher education.
"It means a lot to be chosen for the fellowship" said Rippel, who is studying abroad at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill in Barbados this semester. "I'm thankful for the opportunity, and thankful for all the people that I've worked with in pushing me to complicate my thinking about change and how communities are built."
In his three years at Haverford, the English major and educational studies minor has worked tirelessly to effect change across campus. He has served as the editor-in-chief of online newspaper The Clerk, as an Honor Council representative and co-secretary, and as co-head of Sons of Africa. He also worked to help start of the SURGE (Sons Uniting, Realizing Goals of Excellence) Mentorship Program, which connects boys of color from the Ardmore area with men of color from Haverford's campus, and facilitated a speaker workshop series, "Community Conversations, Actionable Solutions," about policing in America.
"Maurice Rippel is a proven leader in the richest sense, being at once smart and judicious, centered and open-minded, courageous and collaborative," said President Kim Benston in his nomination letter. "He somehow takes on myriad roles throughout the Haverford College community and executes them all with impeccable responsibility and wide-ranging creativity. He has a particularly keen interest in how to improve this community in ways that are both pragmatic and principled."
The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, 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 fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate and engage with such an extraordinary group of students,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year's Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are bringing people together in their communities to solve pressing problems. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it's what our country and our world desperately need.”
"I hope the fellowship can prepare me for the community work I hope to do in the future," said Rippel. "After graduation, I hope to work in education, doing policy or advocacy work. … I know that work in education has to be community-focused and community-led in order for long-term change to be possible."
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.
