Congratulations to Alegria Cloma of Valencia, California, a junior majoring in behavioral economics at Wagner College who was recently named a 2021 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact.
“The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers,” the Campus Compact website says. “Fellows are nominated by their president or chancellor on the basis of their potential for public leadership.”
“Alegria Cloma is an outstanding student, representative of and champion to all of those who, particularly in the past pandemic year, have risen to the challenges we face in our local community and across the globe,” said Wagner College President Joel W. Martin in his nominating statement.
Cloma is one of the founders of Wagner College’s Asian Pacific Islander Association. Under her leadership, APIA collaborated last summer with the Black Student Union and Alma, Wagner’s Latinx student organization, in a vigil honoring the memory of Breonna Taylor, generating a turnout of over 100 students and faculty members.
Last May, Cloma won the Bonner Leader of the Year award, given in honor of Dr. Stephen Preskill, former distinguished professor of civic engagement and leadership and co-founder of the Bonner Leader Program at Wagner College. The award is given each year to a student who exemplifies the Wagner spirit of civic engagement and leadership through ongoing community work, democratic engagement and reflective practice.
In her sophomore year, Cloma became chapter president and student administrator for Wagner College’s Food Recovery Network, which coordinates the recovery of surplus food from the college’s dining hall for distribution in neighboring communities.
She is currently working to develop a food pantry on campus to combat food insecurity among college students, with the help of administrators and other student organizations.