Kennedy Selbe Named 2019 Newman Civic Fellow


Lindsey Wilson College junior Kennedy Selbe was recently named a 2019 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow.

The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for college students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country and abroad. 

Selbe, a history and gender & women’s studies junior from Elizabethtown, Ky., is a student leader on campus. She is a part of the Bonner Scholars Program at LWC where she has served over 1,200 hours. 

A leader in the community, Selbe serves in the local school system building programs for children and parents that remove barriers to education for primary school children. She also organizes biweekly special topics dinners for LWC students that deal with current issues and develop communication bridges for diverse topics and special interests groups.  

“Kennedy is passionate about learning from the lessons of history, specifically in regards to how humanity has treated minority groups,” said LWC President William T. Luckey Jr. “She believes that education and dialogue are the cornerstones of building dynamic and effective solutions to social justice issues and that we cannot help others or craft solutions to public problems until we see, hear, and strive to understand those who are most affected.”

Selbe says her interest in analyzing and studying gender and sexuality began after realizing she and her peers had not been adequately taught on the subject.

“I realized I had never been taught anything about women in my history classes, how gender is viewed and interpreted in today's society, or even a basic sexual health class,” said Selbe, “When I got to college, I learned that I could study these areas that had been glazed over in my high school education.”

Selbe not only has taken steps to learn about these subjects but has dedicated her time to educating others as well.

“I participate in the Gender and Women's Studies Conference every year by presenting different topics relating to feminist perspectives and presenting solutions to problems that our society faces because of the stereotypes we place on men and women,” said Selbe, “I also lead open dialogues on campus in regards to current issues so that my fellow students can practice giving voice to their opinions while respectfully listening to the opinions of others.”

The fellowship provides students with a variety of learning and networking opportunities as well as with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities. Selbe is one of 262 students who will make up the 2019 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

“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.”