Evan LeBeau, a Greenfield Community College and Northampton High School dual-enrolled student, has been awarded a prestigious 2021-2022 Newman Civic Fellowship.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience for community-committed students that supports their personal, professional and civic development, according to a GCC press release. Throughout the fellowship year, which begins in April, Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities, provides students with training and resources that help them develop strategies for social change. Fellows also work one on one with a mentor from their community; for LeBeau, this will be Nicole LaChapelle, the mayor of Easthampton.
In his statement as a fellowship nominee, LeBeau wrote about the crucial role public education plays in our society and his appreciation of the advantages it has already provided him in his young life.
“For any great society, the genuine bellwether is access to good quality education for everyone. If we forgo access to education for the members of this society, it will begin to crumble. In order to continue creating a critical thinking, communicative, open society, the people must be well educated to be engaged members,” he wrote.
In his short time at GCC, LeBeau has made a significant impression on the college’s leadership, the release states. In nominating him, President Yves Salomon-Fernandez noted that he “embodies the skill, knowledge and potential to effect deep and lasting social change on a local, state and national level.”
LeBeau, a resident of Easthampton, is pursuing an associate’s degree in liberal arts while simultaneously earning his high school diploma. He will graduate from Northampton High School this spring and will complete his associate’s degree at GCC in the spring of 2022, the release states.
At GCC, LeBeau is the treasurer of the Student Senate, representative to the Massachusetts Student Advisory Council, and in June will begin a term as a student trustee. At Northampton High School, as co-chair of the NHS Democrats, he has been organizing a speaker series with U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, gubernatorial candidate Ben Downing, Northampton’s mayoral candidates and members of the Northampton City Council. Last summer, LeBeau was a field fellow for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s campaign, organizing volunteers across Hampshire County.
As a member of the Northampton High School IT Pathways program, LeBeau helped run the school’s IT helpdesk and edited its website, according to the release. This led to an internship for the city of Northampton as a system analyst, where he assisted in the setup and replacement of the computer and telecommunication network.
Over the summer, LeBeau will develop a curriculum to teach civics lessons to elementary school students in Greenfield next fall. According to the release, he has also been a Boy Scout for seven years. This spring, he will build bog bridges for the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton for his Eagle Scout project.
When he completes his associate’s degree, LeBeau plans to transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science and eventually a master’s degree in public policy and administration.