May 28, 2008

Yvonne Brooks of Fresno and Xi Chang of Porterville were among 66 students selected nationwide for the American Humanics Next Generation Leaders Program (NextGen), a competitive internship scholarship program for students enrolled in American Humanics Programs on more than 67 colleges and universities in the United States.

NextGen, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, is designed to help a diverse group of students with demonstrated leadership potential complete their requirements for certification in nonprofit management and leadership and encourage the recruitment and retention of skilled and diverse next generation nonprofit leaders. Over the next five years, more than 1,000 internship scholarships will be awarded through the program.

Brooks, a senior who graduates this month with a triple major in Liberal Studies, Women’s Studies and Sociology, will intern with Central California Legal Services.

Chang, a graduate student in Public Health, will intern with the Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center.

The internships require a minimum commitment of 300 hours and the students will receive a scholarship of $4,500, along with access to and support from a network of nonprofit leaders who will serve as mentors.

“The NextGen Leader Program allows our students the opportunity to put what they learn in to action in service to their community while earning some funds to support themselves and their education costs, said Dr. Matthew Jendian, director of the American Humanics Nonprofit Administration Program at Fresno State. “Without this program, some of our students would not be able to complete the 300-hour internship required for AH National Certification.”