Aaliyah Moore ‘24 named national Newman Civic Fellow and awarded a Newman Mini-Grant
In recognition of her outstanding commitment to and future potential for effecting positive change, Bates student Aaliyah Moore ’24 of Phoenix was chosen as a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a year-long program that recognizes and supports student public problem solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor based on their potential for public leadership and their work with communities.
The recipient of a prestigious Truman Scholarship, Aaliyah was nominated for the Newman award by former president Clayton Spencer. This past Fall, she and over 100 other Newman Civic Fellows gathered from approximately 35 states for the 2023 Newman Civic Fellowship Convening in Boston, Massachusetts, where they heard from established civic leaders and were inspired to deepen their own social change work.
Now in her senior year at Bates, Aaliyah serves as the Harward Center’s Community Outreach Fellow for Justice Reform as well as a Bonner Racial Justice Fellow. She recently learned that she is one of a small number of Newman Civic Fellows to be awarded a competitive mini-grant, sponsored by the Allstate Foundation, in support of their local social change work. Aaliyah’s proposal, entitled “Art: A Form of Expression for Youth,” was selected to receive a $1,500 award.
Aaliyah’s grant funds will be used to enhance the music studio at Tree Street Youth in Lewiston, where she works as a Bonner Racial Justice Fellow. The hope is for the music studio to become a space where youth are introduced to the world of music production and where they have access to equipment and experiences that build their knowledge and skills, enabling them to utilize music as a form of self-expression and to explore potential pathways to careers in the music production field.
Asked about Aaliyah’s contributions to Tree Street Youth so far this year, her supervisor there had this to say: “What stands out most about Aaliyah is her amazing ability to forge strong connections with our kids. She’s not just present; she’s engaged and invested in their well-being. She goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to encouraging deep conversations. Her approach is not only educational but also fun, creating an environment where our kids feel comfortable expressing themselves.”
During her final months in Lewiston, Aaliyah plans to recruit other Bates students to support the music exploration and production program her mini-grant is helping to establish. When she departs Lewiston later this year for graduate school, she will not only leave a piece of her heart with the kids at Tree Street, but also a budding new program.