UMW senior Nathan Francis has been named to the 2023 cohort of the Newman Civic Fellows by Campus Compact.
UMW senior Nathan Francis, from Leesburg, Virginia, has been named to the 2023 cohort of the Newman Civic Fellows by Campus Compact, recognizing his work on campus, in the Fredericksburg community and ever-expanding around the world.
“I have always had a passion for community service, participating in Key Club in high school and being a part of an organization called PEER (Positive Experiences in Educational Relationships) my junior and senior year of high school. Getting to help the local community where you live, whether at home or at school, helps to provide a much more personal tie to where you are,” he recalled. “That’s why I ultimately decided to continue participating in it during my time at Mary Washington. Even in 2020, I still participated with COAR as a volunteer, and helped in participating in the events I eventually was helping to coordinate.”
Francis’ first-year experience at UMW was punctuated by the pandemic, making the typical four-year college tenure feel more like three, but he quickly jumped back in sophomore year volunteering for as much as he could. He sought connections with faculty in his major through the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, and in spring 2023 completed research with Assistant Professor Jared McDonald, resulting in a soon-to-be-published co-authored paper. Read more.