Title: Junior Government Major Awarded Fellowship for Outstanding Civic Engagement
Junior government major Shakera Vaughn receives a 2018 Newman Civic Fellowship, which provides a full academic year of learning opportunities, networking events and mentoring to help her achieve her community-based goals.
— Shakera Vaughan (C’19) has received a 2018 Newman Civic Fellowship, a national program for students who demonstrate meaningful engagement with their communities.
Campus Compact, a nonprofit that encourages civic life involvement among college students, selected Vaughn for the one-year fellowship along with 267 other students form across the country.
As a government major and sociology minor, Vaughan’s interest in civic engagement has led her to volunteer in local schools, work in a church nursery and intern for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and at the offices of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Strengthening Community
Andria Wisler, executive director of the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service, noticed Vaughan’s passion for community service and engagement and encouraged the university to nominate her.
“Shakera is attentive to the needs of those she serves and is well known across Georgetown University for her capacity to create and strengthen community by building bridges of understanding through dialogue and shared reflection,” President John J. DeGioia wrote in her nomination citation.
Vaughan, a Richmond, Va. native, chose Georgetown largely due to the resources the university commits to helping students from all backgrounds thrive through the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access and programs such as the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP).
“Georgetown not only gave me the financial support to come here, but also gave me the resources to stay here,” she says. “I knew the opportunities in the nation’s capital were endless, and I wanted to try and take advantage of what is supposed to be the ‘best four years of my life.’ ”
Adjusting to College
Like many first-year students, Vaughan took some time to adjust to college life.
“I didn’t quite feel like I belonged,” she says. “I had experienced imposter syndrome.”
But before long, involvement in campus clubs particularly GU Women of Color (GUWOC) –helped her feel more invested in her new home.
“I was given a strong sisterhood of such phenomenal and welcoming women,” Vaughan says. “Not only did I finally feel like I belonged, but I was a part of an organization who really set out to advocate for marginalized groups of people.”
Grounded by her new community, Vaughan flourished on the Hilltop. She joined the Gospel Choir and the Baker Scholars, one of Georgetown’s most prestigious undergraduate programs. She became vice president of GUWOC and helped organize the BRAVE Summit, which celebrates black women and bring their voices to the forefront of conversations.
Vaughan took full advantage of the academic opportunities afforded her, enrolling in courses that helped her explore fascinating new ideas.
“One lesson that I quickly realized was that my professors have so much wisdom to offer in and outside the classroom, and all you had to do was talk to them,” she says. “Classes like ‘Education/Politics/Policymaking,’ taught by [government professor] Douglas Reed, and ‘Public Housing: Theory and Practice,’ taught by [sociology professor] Brian McCabe, have pushed me to think outside of my normal realm.”
Thriving on Campus
Between classes and work shifts at Vital Vittles or the student guard desk, the junior has found the time to volunteer at Center City Charter School’s Shaw campus, the Washington International School and the Institute for College Preparation’s Kids2College program.
The Newman Fellowship provides its fellows with a full academic year of learning opportunities, networking events and mentoring to help them achieve their community-based goals. Vaughan hopes it will help her come up with more systemic solutions to societal problems she sees within communities.
“I am hoping to brainstorm and develop strategic solutions to the problems I truly care about, like equity in educational resources and affordable housing for low-income people,” Vaughan says. “I hope to truly take what I learn from their trainings and resources and apply it to my career, which will most likely be dedicated to public service.”