Stritch’s Daniel Gutierrez Ayala named Newman Civic Fellow

Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 290 students who will make up the organization’s 2020-2021 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. The 2020 cohort—the largest group of Newman Civic Fellows to date—includes Stritch’s Daniel Gutierrez Ayala.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program for students from Campus Compact member institutions. The students selected for the fellowship are leaders on their campuses who demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities locally, nationally, and internationally.

Gutierrez Ayala is a junior majoring in Spanish and Political Science and plans to attend law school and pursue a career as an immigration attorney. He is the co-president of Stritch chapter of the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. A graduate of Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, Gutierrez Ayala has been a key organizer of campus events to inform students, faculty and staff about available resources for DACA and undocumented students. He co-founded Empowering Citizens: Emporderando Cuidasanos, a nonprofit organization committed to helping individuals navigate the complex immigration process and prepare for the U.S. citizenship test in 2019.

The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors may nominate one student from their institution for the fellowship.

“Daniel is driven by a deep desire to make a positive civic impact by lifting up other, on campus and throughout the greater Milwaukee area, no matter their life circumstance,” said Stritch President Kathleen A. Rinehart, J.D. “Daniel is a wonderful reflection of the Franciscan Values that have shaped interpersonal and professional interactions in the Stritch community and beyond for more than 80 years: Showing Compassion, Creating a Caring Community, Reverencing All of Creation and Making Peace. Daniel also is a wonderful refection of the criteria required for consideration as a Newman Fellow. I am confident that he is prepared not only to meet the obligations associate with service as a Newman Fellow, he also is prepared to make a lifelong impact in the communities where he chooses to live, work and lead."

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides the students with a variety of learning and networking opportunities that emphasize personal, professional, and civic growth. Each year, Fellows are invited to a national, in-person conference of Newman Civic Fellows and participate in numerous virtual training and networking opportunities. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year's Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it's what our country and our world desperately need.”

The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation. Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship.