Photo provided by Katherine Moronta Rodriguez
By Victoria Durgin, Co-editor-in-chief
Susquehanna junior Katherine Moronta Rodriguez has joined an exclusive group of community-driven learners and leaders.
Moronta has been named a Newman Civic Fellow after a recommendation from Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Services Justin Rummel.
According to the official website, the fellowship is designed to recognize and support “community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers.” This involves a year of training and other resources to enable fellows to develop ways to work towards social change.
“Student Financial Services has always been impressed with Katherine any time we’ve had the chance to interact with her on campus,” Rummel said.
He also said that Moronta involvement in the Susquehanna Service Leaders and her time as a Cultural Vista Fellow “speak for themselves.”
After the recommendation from Rummel, Susquehanna President Jonathan Green formally nominated her for the fellowship.
Moronta said she is excited to represent Susquehanna.
“I am most excited to be able to come back to SU as a senior to keep serving for my community, nothing brings me more joy than to help the ones around me,” Moronta said.
To become a fellow, applicants must show they are dedicated to taking action to address inequality and polarization as well as a commitment to long-term civic engagement and working with community members.
For Moronta the fellowship is also an opportunity to encourage first-generation students.
“As a first-generation college student I want others just like me to believe that they can succeed no matter the circumstances and become leaders in their own communities,” Moronta said.
Rodriguez will be an active Newman fellow for the entire upcoming academic year. She majors in finance and Spanish.
