Hamline University College of Liberal Arts junior Margaret Crenshaw was recently named a Newman Civic Fellow in recognition of her work with inner-city and immigrant children.

The education and social justice double major is quite the multi-tasker—Crenshaw is president of Hand-in-Hand, the mentoring program that pairs Hamline students with students from Hancock Elementary School.

“This year we had 100 Hamline students volunteer to participate in the program,” Crenshaw said. “Considering that Hamline’s size that’s a huge number for us.”

Crenshaw also is a committed member of the Hamline NCORE team, which leads discussions on campus about race and racism on campus. Crenshaw then devotes several days a week to working with Karen immigrant children with the McVay Youth Partnership, where she is a senior fellow and site leader.

“I really enjoy my work with the youth in McVay Youth Partnership,” Crenshaw said. “They’re like little brothers and sisters.”

Her work with McVay also lead her to do a research project with education professor Letitia Basford that Crenshaw recently presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Ogden, Utah.

“My research examined how Karen youth are doing in school and how the teachers can best address their unique needs,” Crenshaw said.

In the future, Crenshaw said she would like to teach abroad for a year or two. She is especially interested in studying in or visiting Thailand to see where Karen people are from and gain additional perspective on their experiences. Long-term, Crenshaw is interested in continuing her work with youth in urban areas.

The Newman Civic Fellow award recognizes 162 students across the United States for demonstrating a personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Campus Compact, the organization that gives the award, is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents devoted to helping students make 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. 

Hamline University College of Liberal Arts junior Margaret Crenshaw was recently named a Newman Civic Fellow in recognition of her work with inner-city and immigrant children.

The education and social justice double major is quite the multi-tasker—Crenshaw is president of Hand-in-Hand, the mentoring program that pairs Hamline students with students from Hancock Elementary School.

“This year we had 100 Hamline students volunteer to participate in the program,” Crenshaw said. “Considering that Hamline’s size that’s a huge number for us.”

Crenshaw also is a committed member of the Hamline NCORE team, which leads discussions on campus about race and racism on campus. Crenshaw then devotes several days a week to working with Karen immigrant children with the McVay Youth Partnership, where she is a senior fellow and site leader.

“I really enjoy my work with the youth in McVay Youth Partnership,” Crenshaw said. “They’re like little brothers and sisters.”

Her work with McVay also lead her to do a research project with education professor Letitia Basford that Crenshaw recently presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Ogden, Utah.

“My research examined how Karen youth are doing in school and how the teachers can best address their unique needs,” Crenshaw said.

In the future, Crenshaw said she would like to teach abroad for a year or two. She is especially interested in studying in or visiting Thailand to see where Karen people are from and gain additional perspective on their experiences. Long-term, Crenshaw is interested in continuing her work with youth in urban areas.

The Newman Civic Fellow award recognizes 162 students across the United States for demonstrating a personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Campus Compact, the organization that gives the award, is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents devoted to helping students make 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.