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Following a passion for equal access to healthcare has led Baldwin Wallace University public health major Madina Mahmoud '23 to be named a Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow.
Campus Compact is "a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education." The year-long civic fellowship program recognizes and supports community-committed students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. The fellowship is named in honor of Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders.
Mahmoud started in BW's pre-med program but intentionally chose to major in public health over the more traditional choice of biology to deepen her commitment to helping communities that do not receive the medical care they need.
Outside of the classroom, a focus on social justice initiatives helps Mahmoud make good on her desire to broaden medical education to shine a light on unequal access.
Mahmoud says, "Through institutional partnerships and professional collaborations with faculty, I am working to bring public health and social justice education to all aspiring healthcare workers."
She believes the best way to repair a broken system is to familiarize future healthcare workers about equity issues early in their education.
Mahmoud encourages all students to find a student activity outside their comfort zone to help open doors in their lives.
Diving into student life at BW, Mahmoud, a Choose Ohio First STEMM Scholar, first participated in Student Senate, where she says opportunities started to present themselves, one after another.
She was nominated for and accepted into the Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) Ratcliffe Student Fellows Colloquium in spring 2020, which ended up pushing her toward a civil rights-centered BW Alternative Break trip sponsored by the Brain Center for Community Engagement.
Following that experience, she invested more time in the Brain Center, where she received a Brain Center Fellowship. Mahmoud says, "I initially had to seek out one opportunity at BW, and from there, all the doors opened up."
Mahmoud will join 212 students from 39 states, Washington, D.C. and Mexico as a 2021-22 Newman Civic Fellow.
Through the fellowship, Mahmoud will participate in virtual training and networking opportunities that Campus Compact says are designed to provide "the skills and connections [needed] to create large-scale positive change."
In addition, a two-day Annual Convening of Fellows offers an "intensive skill-building and networking" experience. Fellows can apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities as well.
In nominating Mahmoud, BW President Robert Helmer called her "a highly engaged, high achieving and justice-oriented student ... [who] not only embodies the values and principles of BW, but certainly represents the community-committed, public problem-solvers recognized by the Newman Civic Fellowship."
