Davina Najiah Frazier, a senior at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, has been named a 2013 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, the nation’s only higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement.
She is one of 181 college students from 36 states to be named 2013 Newman Civic Fellows.
“Davina Najiah Frazier is an exemplary student leader who makes a difference on our campus and in our community,” USCB Chancellor Jane T. Upshaw wrote to the Newman Civic Fellows Award Nomination Committee. “Ms. Frazier will receive dual Bachelor of Science degrees in both Human Services and Business Administration at our spring commencement this May. She has an impressive record of academic success, civic engagement and leadership.”
Human Service majors at USCB are required to complete three internships, each of which carries a minimum of 120 hours of service at approved sites. Ms. Frazier exceeded the 360-hour requirement by performing 450 hours of service.
“In addition,” the chancellor noted, “Davina is also providing another 150 hours of service in her Business degree’s optional internship this current semester. She will graduate with an impressive total of 600 hours of documented internship service.”
While working with the Jasper County Boys & Girls Club, Ms. Frazier served on South Carolina Campus Compact’s Healthy Families project where she helped children improve their well-being by forsaking junk food and soda in favor of more nutritious foods. She also developed and implemented a program called Fit Fridays that encompasses sports activities, dance classes and other exercise opportunities.
For her third Human Services internship, Ms. Frazier became a certified IRS tax preparer and staffed USCB’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). After receiving 40 hours of training as a tax preparer, she assisted working families and individuals in completing their federal and state income tax forms at no cost.
That’s not the sum total of her volunteer efforts. As the chancellor pointed out, “For the past seven years, Davina has volunteered between five and 10 hours per week during the school year at Beaufort Elementary School where her mother, Melanie Frazier, teaches a class of severe and profound special needs children. Conservatively, we estimate that this totals more than 1,000 volunteer hours.”
