Bergen Community College Student Recognized for Civic Service

Campus Compact, a national coalition of 1,100 colleges and universities dedicated to campus-based civic engagement, has named Bergen Community College student Tristan Anderson a 2016 Newman Civic Fellow.

Anderson, of Teaneck, a general mathematics and science major, has accumulated more than 500 hours of community service with the anti-bullying nonprofit Heroes and Cool Kids, the College’s Rotary Club and through park-based sustainability projects.

He joins 218 peers from 36 states, Washington D.C. and Mexico and past Bergen graduates Derick Diaz (2015) and Margarita Valdez (2013) as Fellows.

“Being able to give back and see that I’m making a difference – even on a small scale – makes me feel as though I’m doing my part for the rest of the world,” he said.

Holding leadership roles with College organizations such as the student government association executive board, Anderson also participates in various on-campus clubs and organizations, including Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society of two-year colleges; the Judith K. Winn School of Honors; and the black student union.

An aspiring medical student, Anderson anticipates graduating from Bergen as part of the class of 2017. He plans to transfer to a four-year institution.

“I want to keep progressing forward until I can really get to the upper echelon and make a difference on a global scale,” Anderson said.

According to Campus Compact, Newman Civic Fellows represent model service-oriented students through understanding themselves, the root causes of social issues and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change. As a Fellow, Anderson will now have the opportunity to share ideas with peer Fellows through an online community.