Morningside College junior Jessica Paxton is one of 20 college students from Iowa and California selected to participate in the Principal Community Scholars Program, a pilot program designed to encourage student leadership to meet community needs.

Morningside College junior Jessica Paxton is one of 20 college students from Iowa and California selected to participate in the Principal Community Scholars Program, a pilot program designed to encourage student leadership to meet community needs.

As a participant in the program, Paxton will work on a service project to increase student involvement in environmental sustainability practices on the Morningside campus. She will also work with administrators and teachers at Sioux City’s Spalding Park Elementary School to assist in implementation of new sustainability programs.

When Paxton completes her service projects this spring, she will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Principal, a financial services company based in Des Moines, Iowa. Paxton is an elementary education major from Kansas City, Kan.

California Campus Compact and Iowa Campus Compact selected students for the Principal Community Scholars Program through a competitive process. Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1,100 colleges and universities with 34 state and regional affiliates. Iowa Campus Compact is a statewide association of college and university presidents providing leadership for the civic mission of higher education.