Madison Bloker

Madison Bloker

Madison Bloker’s journey as a servant-leader started long before she set foot on the Wartburg College campus. In elementary school, Bloker founded the Best Little Thinkers, a group of like-minded students seeking to raise money for a swimming pool in her hometown of Clarksville.

Now, the Wartburg junior is being honored for her continued commitment to service. Bloker, a journalism and communication major, is one of 268 students nationwide who will make up Campus Compact’s 2018 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

“Madison is truly a deserving candidate of this fellowship because of her contribution to society and her tremendous amount of leadership and self-motivation,” wrote Darrel Colson, Wartburg’s president, in his nomination.

At Wartburg, Bloker serves as student director for Service Trips, marketing coordinator for the Volunteer Action Center, a college ambassador and the sponsorship director for Dance Marathon. She also has been an orientation leader, wrestling and women’s basketball manager and a member of the women’s golf team and Symphonic Band.

“Throughout my time at Wartburg, I’ve grown so much. I have learned about my passions, goals, strengths, weaknesses and capabilities,” Bloker said. “I’ve expanded my horizons. I flew on an airplane for the first time, visited the ocean, saw a Broadway show in New York, visited the Air Force Academy in Colorado, served on trips to Georgia and North Carolina and wrote my first book.”

Bloker’s book, “Bound Blessings,” came about as part of the college’s Baldwin Leadership Fellows Program, a selective program with the goal of expanding the conversation about leadership and civic engagement on Wartburg’s campus. The book led to the January 2018 launch of www.boundblessings.com, the blog Bloker uses to “inspire, uplift and enlighten” others.

“Being a servant-leader is a passion of mine. … Looking back, Wartburg has impacted my life in so many ways,” Bloker said. “I’ve grown as a civic leader, as a student and as a person. I’ve been able to fully live out my passions and navigate my way through my vocational calling.”

Campus Compact is a Boston-based nonprofit working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate and engage with such an extraordinary group of students,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are bringing people together in their communities to solve pressing problems. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”

The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.