According to the article, the Maryland-based Ripken Foundation develops youth programs and partners with cities to create parks in distressed communities. Augsburg baseball head coach Keith Bateman is quoted as saying of the young participants in the multi-sport event, “They might not remember some of the stuff we say, but hopefully they remember when they think back [and say] man, I really had a good time. I want to do that when I get older.”

Read: on the Star Tribune site.

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Campus Compact has honored 162 students from 32 states as 2012 Newman Civic Fellows. Among the honorees is Angela Bonfiglio of Augsburg College. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards recognize inspiring college student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities.

Boston, MA – Campus Compact’s member college and university presidents from across the country have nominated 162 college student leaders for the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows. These students are demonstrating a personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Through service, community-based research, and advocacy, the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves and the root causes of some of the most pressing social issues that challenge us all.

Angela Bonfiglio ’13…demonstrates the type of civic engagement that sets an example for others, shining a positive light in a time when negativity has dominated much national conversation. Bonfiglio, a junior at Augsburg, works in many ways to create a more just society. Angela rebuilt the campus service organization, doubling its membership while deepening issue-based work. In North Minneapolis, Angela is researching community perceptions on the achievement gap and working to close that gap. She coordinates an afterschool program at Redeemer Lutheran Church to ensure that youth have dependable adults, homework help, and dinner. Angela is dedicated to social justice, including environmental work, youth development, interfaith work, and racial equality.

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Bonfiglio will join a network of Fellows around the country. Together—sharing ideas and tools through online networking—the Fellows will leverage an even greater capacity for service and change, and will continue to set examples for their classmates and others.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building a better world,” notes Campus Compact Board Chair James B. Dworkin, chancellor at Purdue University North Central.

Through service-learning courses and other opportunities for community engagement, colleges are developing students’ public problem-solving skills, such as the ability to analyze community needs, the willingness to participate in public processes and debate, the commitment to raise awareness about challenges, and the ability to inspire others to become part of solutions.

“Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact, had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens who are eager and prepared to make a difference,” explains Campus Compact President Maureen Curley. “He dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform and this new group of Newman Civic Fellows would have inspired him. They are reflections and affirmations of his life’s work.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million+ students—who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education, that is, to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit

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In May, Augsburg was host to the Latino Youth Peace and Leadership Conference which was co-sponsored by the Augsburg College Hispanic/Latino Student Services office. The one-day conference, organized by La Oportunidad, was planned by and for Latino youth and included workshops, presentations, and activities to promote youth development, leadership, and positive cultural identity. In this forum, Latino youth learned from others and shared their perspectives and experiences regarding the peaceful development of their lives and community. 

This year’s conference, entitled “Moving with the ‘Sole’, Bailando con el Corazón,” provided more than 200 participants with the opportunity to experience the transformative power and cultural significance of dance and movement.  Attendees learned about the cultural and historical roots of dances such as Aztec/Mexica dance, breakdance, and folkloric dances and examined dance as a cultural health practice which promotes mental, emotional, and physical heath.

Pictured here is Eloisa Echavez ’94, ’98 MAE, executive director of La Oportunidad, with members of the KetzalCoatlicue dancers (meaning Precious Mother Earth). They are a Kalpulli (learning community) of Indigenous people joined by the desire to learn, share, and live the tradition of Mexican Aztec dance.

La Oportunidad, Inc.

La Oportunidad is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to champion the development of Latino individuals and families to create a strong, peaceful community. Over the last 20 years, La Oportunidad has become an internationally recognized and leading provider of bilingual and bicultural family-centered educational and supportive programs to help Latino children, youth, adults, and families in the Twin Cities metro to achieve greater capacity, develop practical skills, nurture healthy relationships, and build a stronger community.

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