Commitment to Civic Engagement, Democracy, Earns Bobcat a National Fellowship

Adriana Montoya, a public administration major from the Honors College will represent Texas State University as one of 154 Newman Civic Fellows for the 2023 cohort – an honor given to outstanding students across the nation and Mexico in recognition of emerging student leaders in higher education.

Students are nominated by their president or chancellor for their potential in effecting positive social change through public leadership and engagement with local communities.

The Texas State senior’s civic engagement in organizing forums, voter registration stations, get-out-the-vote rallies, and other activities helped her earn this national award in recognition of the importance of increasing access and representation in the political process.

During the yearlong fellowship facilitated by Campus Compact, students will be provided resources and learning opportunities to develop their skills and build strategies for advancing their efforts in creating social change.

Dr. Heather C. Galloway, dean of Honors College at TXST, said that she’d long been impressed with Adriana’s thoughtful leadership and active membership in the Honors College ever since she arrived on campus her freshman year after being admitted as a Terry Scholar. She is also recognized for her involvement in the Office of Sustainability as the Community Involvement Intern, the President for Texas Rising, and more.

“Her interest in ensuring a healthy environment for all is evident in her many activities in her home community of El Paso and now in our campus community and the city of San Marcos,” Galloway said of Montoya’s impact. “The Honors College is committed to student success, and we look forward to continuing to support Adriana in her work.”

For her part, Montoya said the childhood experiences of accompanying her parents to the ballot box during local elections proved formative, and underscored the importance of civic engagement.

“I remember when I was a child and my parents would take me with them when they voted in local elections, and as I stood by them at the ballot box, I felt proud that I too could someday participate in the democratic process,” she said in her fellowship personal statement.

“Today I understand how the system I admired as a child is often inequitable in many ways, but this knowledge has only driven me further to fight for representation and lead a life of public service.”