In recognition of her work with food insecurity initiatives at Marymount University, junior Chea-Ler Tan was named to Campus Compact’s 2025-26 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.
Originally from Malaysia, Tan spent her high school years in Shanghai, China, before coming to Virginia to pursue a double major in Criminal Justice and Political Science and International Relations. She was drawn to Marymount due to its capital location and faith-based foundation.
Since arriving at Marymount, Tan has kept herself busy participating in campus activities, including serving as president of the Food for Thought Club, an organization dedicated to alleviating food insecurity within the Marymount community and the greater Arlington area. She first learned about the club when Dr. Susan Agolini, Interim Director and Associate Professor in the School of Science, Mathematics and Engineering, discussed the club’s initiatives during an Honors sustainability class.
Tan started by participating in the club’s weekly service project, creating bagged lunches through a partnership with PathForward, an Arlington homeless shelter. She then joined the club’s leadership team, previously serving as vice president and now president. She currently oversees the sandwich-making events and leads the care and maintenance of Marymount’s community garden, which harvests fresh produce for food-insecure students on campus.
“Chea-Ler has been such a force in transforming Food for Thought into a really active club with lots of members participating in both the garden and the weekly sandwich making,” Dr. Agolini said. “I anticipate that her incredibly effective servant leadership style will allow her to become a valuable leader both inside and outside the classroom.”
Tan says her desire to lead and serve grew from her multicultural background.
“Growing up abroad, I saw how various systems attempted to address social issues and the gaps where those systems failed to meet community needs,” she explained. “These experiences shaped my pursuit of civic engagement and made me fall in love with the idea of serving others.”
As a Newman Civic Fellow, Tan will be invited to virtual workshops, training sessions and networking opportunities. She recently attended the 2025 Newman Civic Fellows Convening in Chicago, where she met other Fellows from across the country to learn more about effective civic engagement.
Tan will also be eligible through Campus Compact to apply for grants that support campus projects, such as Marymount’s Food for Thought garden.
“Some of the wooden structures are starting to fall apart, so we’d love to restore and expand those spaces to make it more sustainable long term,” she said. “I’m also interested in exploring how to get more students involved in maintaining the garden and connecting it to research opportunities.”
Marymount President Irma Becerra praised Tan and encouraged other students to explore ways they can give back to their communities.
“Chea-Ler’s leadership exemplifies the intersection of academic excellence and meaningful civic action. Her approach to addressing food insecurity demonstrates practical problem-solving and sustained commitment to vulnerable populations. Chea-Ler’s work is a testament to how student leaders can create lasting impact on pressing social issues.”
“For me, civic engagement is a way of living out servant leadership,” Tan said. “When I first started volunteering, I’ll admit it was partly about fulfilling service hours or building my résumé. But it’s become much more than that. Civic engagement has helped me understand how to serve people with intention and humility. It’s taught me how to build community around service, bring others in and inspire them to care about something bigger than themselves.”
