OU STUDENT NAMED NEXT GENERATION NONPROFIT LEADER

 Norman – Helping orphans in Central American countries is a passion of Laura Carr, and that passion has led to her acceptance into the Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program through American Humanics, a certification program for those interested in working in the nonprofit field.  Carr, a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma, was notified of her acceptance into the NexGen Program, which provides a $4,500 stipend while she interns at Orphan Helpers, a nonprofit organization based in Newport News, Va.

The NextGen Program is an initiative funded through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.  It provides a competitive stipend to eligible students completing internships for American Humanics certification, with an emphasis on supporting students from underserved communities.  It requires the student to participate in a longitudinal research study and complete the American Humanics certification process.

Carr, a senior majoring in international and area studies at OU, plans to intern at Orphan Helpers, which sponsors missions to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Susy Jorgenson, adviser for the American Humanics certification program offered through OU’s College of Arts and Sciences, was particularly proud of Carr.  “Since this is our first year working with American Humanics, it is an amazing accomplishment for one of our students to be selected from a field of students from more than 40 colleges and universities for this honor.  The competition is of superior caliber, and I had every confidence that Laura would be a strong representative for the OU community.”

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