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Home > Initiatives > Awards Programs > Newman Civic Fellows Award 2013 > The 2013 Newman Civic Fellows > Matthew Schneider, Illinois College

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Matthew Schneider, Illinois College

Matthew Schneider, is a senior at Illinois College who is very involved on campus as a Resident Assistant, Student Ambassador, Peer Health Educator, President of Sociology Club, President of History of Tomorrow, and a member of the IC Baseball Team. Through his involvement, Matthew demonstrates a deep commitment to community service on many levels. Volunteering in various capacities has allowed him to start making connections between course work, current issues, both locally and globally,  and the varying human experience. Through his experiences, especially a service learning trip to Ecuador, tutoring students at the Illinois School for the Deaf, and a recent internship with 8 Points Charter School, he reports that his most passionate interests lie in education and global development. His leadership initiatives range from leading an anger management skills course for developmentally disabled adults at the Jacksonville Developmental Center, to organizing the annual Senior Day event for the Prairie Council on Aging, to recruiting and leading activities for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jacksonville. As Matthew prepares for graduate school and beyond, he is poised to move from being a community leader to becoming a global leader through assessment, planning, and joint action.

I have always had a drive to serve others and work for the common good. But I never fully realized that I could go beyond volunteerism--that my opinion and hard work could influence policy decisions. My views changed when I sat in the office of one of my legislators in Washington, DC."

-Amanda Coffin, University of Maine at Farmington, Campus Compact student leader