Monique Newton ’18 Selected for Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs

Fourth-year scholar athlete Monique Newton will begin her career this summer with a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs.

Coro Fellows experience personal and professional growth in Coro’s “city as classroom” experiential learning program. Through a competitive application process, recent graduates join a cohort of 12 participants in one of five cities for the nine-month program. The fellows work on a variety of full-time projects across a variety of sectors in public affairs, including a final independent project of the fellow’s choosing. Elected officials, staffers, department heads, executive directors, and CEOs provide the knowledge and perspective to help fellows assess how organizations get things done in the social, political, and economic spheres.

Newton, who has a double major in politics and law and society, and a minor in Africana studies, will work in the program’s Pittsburgh center. She says the Pittsburgh location is distinct in that placements are eight weeks long compared with four to six weeks in other cities.

“As someone who is really interested in local politics, I was looking to gain some real-world local government experience and learn more about major American cities, says Newton, who is from Sacramento, California. “I'm excited to use the extra time at each placement site to fully immerse myself within the organization and learn more about each sector.”

Newton has a been a standout scholar athlete. A Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow, she has worked on a project that examines the relationship between African Americans and the government through an analysis of African American political participation. She also conducted research for a member of Boston City Council on proposed policy that would guarantee state housing for citizens who have just been released from jail or prison. In summer 2017, she was one of 20 students in the nation selected for the American Political Science Association (APSA) Ralph Bunche Summer Institute.

On the track and field team, Newton has distinguished herself as the most accomplished woman thrower in school history. In 2017, she became the first woman NCAA champion in Oberlin history during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She is a 14-time North Coast Athletic Conference individual conference champion; a six-time Division III Track and Field All-American; and a 15-time NCAA Division III National Championship qualifier. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the country in discus and No. 2 in shot put for outdoor track and field.

She says she will graduate feeling confident in her ability to lead, ask critical questions, and hold difficult conversations.

“Throughout my time spent on the track team, the Student Finance Committee, conducting original research through the Mellon Mays program, and other activities around campus, I've been able to work on these three skills. My time at Oberlin has provided me with the confidence to pursue my passions. I think that confidence was one of the main reasons why I chosen for this fellowship.”

Newton says she is interested in urban politics, African American politics, and political psychology. She intends to apply to a PhD program in political science in the fall.