We congratulation recent Crean College grad Rabia Asif for receiving the Shinnyo Fellowship for the 2022-2023 year. This coveted fellowship is awarded to one special post-undergraduate Chapman student and is a paid 10 month fellowship. The Center for Undergraduate Excellence has partnered with the Shinnyo-en Foundation to support post-undergraduate Chapman University students interested in peace building and service. Shinnyo fellows receive financial stipends to develop leadership and reflective skills to implement the Foundations’ philosophy of peace building, and bring this to Chapman University and local community organizations.

CUE is partnered with Higher Ground Youth and Family Services, an after-school program for some of the most underserved and “at-risk” youth in Anaheim, as the Shinnyo Fellow’s permanent placement site. At Higher Ground, they engage youth from grades 2 through High School in everything from arts, film production, and sports, to STEM, health, and career planning. Fellows will have an opportunity to engage children from various backgrounds and gain exposure to the difficulties these families face on a day-to-day basis.

Fellows come from diverse disciplines and backgrounds and they are all deeply committed to their act of service for peace building. The four other universities and institutions that participate in the Shinnyo Fellowship are: U.C. Berkeley, Seattle University, George Mason University, and Redwood City 2020 in partnership with Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service and The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities. 

Congratulations Rabia!