FVCC student honored as a Newman Civic Fellow

A Flathead Valley Community College student received the title of a Newman Civic Fellow for her work to support grandparents acting as caretakers for their grandkids.

Jacqueline Elm is one of 273 college students from across the nation that Campus Compact honored with the 2017 Newman Civic Fellows Award.

Campus Compact is a Boston-based coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. The Fellowship recognizes and supports civic-minded students who demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges within their communities. Across the state, 11 students were selected as fellows this year, according to the Montana Campus Compact.

“The cultivation of community-committed leaders has never been more crucial,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn in a press release. “We rebuilt the Newman Civic Fellowship experience because our country needs more people who know how to bring communities together for positive change.”

FVCC President Jane Karas nominated Elm for the award based on her work to support grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.

Elm and her husband established Grandfamilies of Montana, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, education and support for grandparents who are serving as primary caregivers.

As a grandmother whose family has experienced the turmoil of drug and alcohol addiction, Elm enrolled at FVCC in 2015 to better prepare herself to assist other families caught in the crosshairs of addiction and the court system.

She will graduate from FVCC this spring with an associate degree and intends to transfer to the University of Montana to study social work.

As a Campus Compact 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Elm will participate in a one-year program emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides learning and networking opportunities like a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides partnerships with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.