Lincoln Scholar Kevli Sheth ’24 named Newman Civic Fellow
Centre College’s mission is to prepare its students for lives of learning, leadership and service, and Lincoln Scholar Kevli Sheth ‘24 (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) is diving deep into the College’s values as a Newman Civic Fellow with Campus Compact.
Creating a network of public problem-solvers who are dedicated to their communities, the yearlong fellowship recognizes and supports students who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities.
Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their passions and help them develop strategies for social change.
“My work for social change is only possible because peers, mentors, activists and my personal communities have guided me with their knowledge and example,” Sheth said. “Being a Newman Civic Fellow means recognizing that it is my responsibility to learn as much as I can from the fellowship and share that knowledge through community-building and advocacy work.”
Sheth is highly involved in a number of extracurricular activities on campus. She is an officer of the Centre Feminists, specifically working on highlighting opportunity for women and people of color in STEM fields. She is also involved with Centre Pride Alliance, and she has been an active supporter of everything from Partners in Health, to HIV education and sexual assault prevention. Additionally, she has been a major contributor to the work of CentreFaith, and she is uniquely sensitive to the need for interfaith understanding.
“I have appreciated her willingness to foster interfaith and intercultural understanding on our campus,” said College Chaplain Rick Axtell, H. W. Stodghill, Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Religion, who nominated Sheth for the fellowship. “Kevli has a unique combination of a capacity to listen with empathy and sensitivity alongside an ability to confront with honesty and sincerity.”
“She is a change-maker, and I can’t wait to see where her skills will take her,” he concluded.
As a biology major and religion minor, Sheth is looking forward to using the resources the fellowship provides, as she plans to pursue a career in public health or plant biology.
“I believe both fields require an understanding of how to make change within a community,” she added.
Sheth said she is also excited to support and listen to other students who are dedicated to their communities, as well as learn from their past experiences.
Director of the Lincoln Scholars Program Robert Schalkoff said the overarching goal of the Lincoln Scholars Program is to prepare the students to be selfless leaders and catalysts for change through whichever discipline or career they pursue.
“Scholars necessarily engage in their own development as leaders both inside and outside of the program,” Schalkoff added. “Kevli has really taken the bull by the horns when it comes to leadership within the program. She played a critical role in questioning our assumptions about rural and queer communities through her Lincoln seminar last year. Kevli has also represented her cohort on the Scholar Advisory Council.
“That she is being named a Newman Civic Fellow for the work she has done on a campus-wide level attests to her contributions to the Centre community at large,” he continued. “I’m excited to see how she uses this new platform to further enrich our campus.”
While at Centre, Sheth’s classes have taught her how to question and think critically about her positionality and contexts, and she believes that applying this knowledge naturally lends itself to change-making.
“Outside of the classroom, Centre’s incredible faculty and staff have offered so much guidance and support to me and the initiatives I have been involved in,” she added. “Their expertise is invaluable, and they are always willing to listen to and improve ideas. Many of my peers are also dedicated to making Centre more inclusive and equitable, and their work has taught me how to analyze and apply different situations to my own goals.”
