NC Civic Impact Fellowship
The NC Civic Impact Fellowship is an 18-month long program that empowers outstanding civic-minded student leaders from campuses across North Carolina to develop an Impact Project that will have a lasting positive effect on their campus’ civic life. Fellows are nominated to the fellowship by campus mentors and their college/university President/Chancellor, based on their potential to excel in civic and community service leadership.
Each phase of the fellowship is designed to support the Fellow’s professional and personal skill development to enhance the outcomes of their Impact Project while strengthening their capacity as civic leaders. 2023 is the pilot year for the NC Civic Impact Fellowship (CIF).
Fellowship Components
- Regular virtual meetings focused on professional and personal skill development
- An annual civic leadership camp, Citizen Redefined Camp
- One-on-one leadership development with a campus mentor
- Connection to a statewide network of Civic Impact Fellows
- Public recognition
- Multiple opportunities to present at NCCE conferences and events
2024-25 NC Civic Impact Fellows
The 2023 NC Civic Impact Fellows were selected in the Fall 2023 semester, and began their fellowship term in the Spring 2024 semester. Fellows meet monthly to discuss their Impact Project design and implementation, and to receiving professional skill development training.
Trinitee Smith, Elizabeth City State University
Trinitee is an active student leader at Elizabeth City State University. She is involved with the North Carolina Black Alliance as well as Campus Vote Project. Some of the events that Trinitee has organized include March to the Polls and National Voter Registration Day.
Xypher Pino, Greensboro College
Xypher is the Food Drive Coordinator for the Greensboro College Honors Program Coordinator, NC Campus Engagement Hunger Ambassador, and Village 401 Volunteer. His recent successes include ssecuring the Grand Overall Prize of $10,000 in the NC Collegiate Hunger Challenge, which will be used to support the Greensboro College food pantry.
Osliany Mora-Morejon, High Point University
Osliany is a the Co-President of the Bonner Leaders program at High Point and a dedicated volunteer with youth community organization D-Up Inc as a Youth Enrichment Advisor. She is also a committed member of in student organizations including “Never Interrupt Happiness” (N.I.H.) and the HPU chapter of the NAACP.
Indigo Lesser, UNC Asheville
Indigo serves as the President of UNC Asheville Campus Entertainment, President of UNCA for Menstrual Equity, and Co-President of the Trans Student Union. Additionally, they are deeply involved in the UNC Asheville community through their role as an Orientation Assistant, Peer Mentor, and Undergraduate Research and Community Engaged Scholar in collaboration with Planned Parenthood.
Magally Ortiz-Rojas, UNC Pembroke
Magally has proven her commitment to civic and community through a variety of avenues on and off campus. She has raised student voter turnout through campus-wide voter registration drives, organized campus sustainability and environmentalism projects, and spearheaded fundraising campaigns that raised $10,000 for the UNCP CARE Resource Center.
Seimy Mendoza, Warren Wilson College
Seimy serves as a volunteer across various organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Mentoring and Nurturing Our Students (M.A.N.O.S.), and Bounty & Soul’s food market. Seimy is also involved through student organizations, particularly within the African/Black, Latiné, Indigenous, Asian (ALIA) Student Affinity Group and the college’s Inclusion Diversity and Equity (WIDE) initiative.
Christopher Simmering, William Peace University
Christopher is a founding member of the Civic Order student organization at William Peace University, driven by the mission to foster peaceful political discourse and enhance civic engagement at William Peace. His contributions have included hosting “Constitution Day” to educate students about the law, facilitating multiple Democratic Dialogues, and achieving the top prize in the 2023 NCCE Redesigning Democracy Competition.
For questions about the NC Civic Impact Fellowship, contact Sam Delap (sdelap@ncengage.org).
Nomination Process (beginning Fall 2024)
1. The campus designates a staff/faculty mentor for the student.
2. The mentor completes the NC Civic Impact Fellowship nomination form. The nomination form must include a signed Letter of Support for the student’s nomination to the fellowship from the institutions President/Chancellor. This letter must be sent to sdelap@ncengage.org before October 18, 2024.
*Note: If the student is a Community Impact Student Award winner, the nomination form is significantly shorter and only requires that the mentor attach and submit the Letter of Support.
3. Students sign their acceptance to the fellowship. The mentor completes an MOA with NCCE.
4. The cohort is publicly announced.
Eligibility
All Fellows should meet the eligibility criteria below:
- Sophomore or Junior (4-year) or first year student (2-year)
- Previous demonstrated leadership and civic engagement experience on campus.
- Commitment to developing, implementing, and leading an impactful project that will produce tangible results on their campus
2025-26 Key Dates
Nominations Open: September 2024
Fellowship Acceptance and Campus Commitments Due: January 2024
Orientation: January 2025
Fellowship Begins: February 2025
Citizen Redefined Camp: May 2025
Fellowship Concludes: April 2026