Sophie Cardin ’22, a political science major with a focus on political theory, has been named a 2020 Newman Civic Fellow. This is the fourth consecutive year a Colorado College student has received this honor.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes and supports community-committed students. Those selected as fellows are leaders on their campuses who demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities locally, nationally, and internationally.
Jordan Travis Radke, director of the Collaborative for Community Engagement (CCE), the office that leads the selection and nominating process of a CC student for the award, says Cardin was nominated “in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to civic engagement and promise as an agent for social change.” Radke notes that Cardin has worked extensively with the CCE, helping to initiate and develop an Organizing for Social Change adjunct course, leading an Education Coalition, and working with Public Achievement and CC Votes.
Radke says Cardin’s leadership and commitments within the CCE are mirrored by a larger range of roles across campus. Cardin serves as Vice President of Outreach for the Colorado College Student Government Association, which connects the college to Colorado Springs and the state. In that role, she also represents CC in the statewide Colorado Student Government Coalition and the National Coalition of Student Leaders.
Additionally, Cardin was a key organizer in forming the Coalition for Antiracism and Liberation (CAL), which works with local activists and movement to advocate for racial equity in Colorado Spring and on CC’s campus.
“To me, political education is an essential part of a liberal arts education,” says Cardin.
She’s also was a founding member of the National Coalition of Student leaders, which works to connect undergraduate students across the country so they can advocate for student needs; a leading member of CC Votes; and a founding member of statewide Colorado Elections Youth Advisory Council, which advises the Colorado Secretary of State’s office on youth voting and engagement policy and programs.
“Receiving this fellowship is an opportunity to continue my education,” says Cardin, who intends to continue studying political thought, and hopes to go on to earn a law degree and focus on constitutional law and civil rights.
Cardin, a lifelong Denverite, joins Andre Dufresne ’21, Elam Boockvar-Klein ’20, and Veronica Fernandez-Diaz ’19 as Colorado College recipients of the Newman Civic Fellowship.