On an April Sunday in McAlister Field House, Cadet Ariana Zapata, \u201927, helped a young group of cheerleaders discover their talent. The captain of The Citadel\u2019s cheerleading squad hosted a free cheer camp for elementary school students. For many of the students, it was an opportunity they might not have otherwise had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The camp was made possible through a Campus Compact mini-grant awarded exclusively to Newman Civic Fellows, a year-long program that recognizes student leadership and community service. Fellows are nominated by their college presidents based on their leadership potential and work in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrowing up, I could not have participated in gymnastics without a sponsor,\u201d Zapata said, \u201cso I wanted to create something for kids who don\u2019t have those resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zapata is a double major in criminal justice and Spanish with a minor in psychology from Greenville, South Carolina. The daughter of parents from Argentina and Mexico, she came to The Citadel thinking her family might not be able to afford tuition. Through scholarships and financial aid, however, she was able to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a Newman Civic Fellow, Zapata pursued service projects both on and off campus. Zapata helped create a virtual English-learning program for young girls in Choco, Colombia, mentored students through the Hispanic Alliance and interned with an immigration law firm, where she translated for families and learned more about the legal challenges many immigrant families face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am if I hadn’t put myself out there and made connections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At The Citadel, Zapata has also developed leadership skills through cheerleading, balancing daily practices, academic requirements and cadet responsibilities. This summer, Zapata is spending 10 weeks in Washington, D.C., as part of the FBI Honors Internship Program, a competitive opportunity for students interested in federal service and public leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Zapata, helping young people discover opportunities they may not have considered for themselves is among the most rewarding parts of her work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On an April Sunday in McAlister Field House, Cadet Ariana Zapata, \u201927, helped a young group of cheerleaders discover their talent. The captain of The Citadel\u2019s cheerleading squad hosted a free cheer camp for elementary school students. For many of the students, it was an opportunity they might not have otherwise had. The camp was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":694,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other"],"yoast_head":"\n