May 14, 2013

Making it better: A celebration of students’ exceptional commitment to service

We’re honoring a graduating senior who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and issues of social justice in the campus, Portland, and international communities.

The Center for Career and Community Engagement is proud to announce this year’s recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Community Service, an award given to a graduating senior who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and issues of social justice in the campus, Portland, and international communities.

This year’s pool of nominees was one of the strongest to date and the decision committee – made up of Adonica De Vault, Associate Director, Center for Career and Community Engagement; Bridget Flaherty, Assistant Director, International Students and Scholars; Reiko Hillyer, Assistant Professor of History; and Melia Manter, CAS ’15 – ultimately decided to bestow the award upon two students, Rosa Kim and Alexa Moore.

Because it would take pages to relay a comprehensive list of the projects and organizations with which Alexa and Rosa have been involved, we will provide for you a few highlights of their community service experiences, as well as what others have to say about the impact they have had on our community.

Rosa Kim, an international student from Korea, has devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to serving developmentally disabled adults through the “Treasures” program at Tualatin Presbyterian Church. During Rosa’s first semester on campus, Carolyn Locke, Administrative Specialist in International Students and Scholars and founder of the “Treasures” program, invited Rosa to join her for their monthly meeting to do crafts, play games, and socialize with “Treasures” participants. Rosa was so moved by the people she served that she continued to volunteer during the course of her four years at Lewis & Clark.

Carolyn Locke says that, “Rosa’s discussions with me about the treatment of the disabled in her home country reveal that she is determined to promote needed services in Korea.” In addition to being a champion for developmentally disabled adults, Rosa is also the president of the campus chapter of Amnesty International, has served the homeless at Operation Nightwatch, participated in this year’s Alternative Spring Break trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands, and was an avid volunteer during her overseas trip to Senegal.

Alexa Moore has been serving the Portland community since her arrival on campus as a participant in 3CE’s “Urban Action” New Student Trip. This experience sparked her interest in alternative solutions to homelessness, which led Alexa to participate in Students in Service through Americorps, a program that requires students to volunteer 300 hours during the academic year in exchange for a small educational award. Alexa completed her service hours at Yellow Brick Road Street Outreach, a Janus Youth program that provides advocacy, first-aid and hygiene supplies, community resources, & referrals to Portland’s diverse street dependent population.

This year, Alexa has served as a Community Engagement Coordinator in 3CE, was a member of the Spring into Action Planning Committee, and recently learned that she will get to put her community development skills to work next year as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. 3CE’s Kirsten Fix describes Alexa’s demeanor as a perfect blend of “enthusiasm and passion balanced with critical thinking.” Her unique capability to encourage others to take action along with her passion for helping others will take her far!

The remaining nominees are this year’s recipients of the Dean’s Recognition of Community Engagement. A brief snapshot of their accomplishments and commitments is listed below:

Kayla Aronson: contributions to the Office of Campus Living as a Resident Advisor and Student Life Intern; commitment to serving the Lewis & Clark faith community through leadership in Agape and Young Life; participation in an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans

Anna Lofstrand: President of Lewis & Clark chapter of BuildOn, an international nonprofit committed to fundraising for school construction in developing countries; led the charge to raise $30,000 over the last two years to build schools in Malawi and Haiti

Goldann Salazar: commitment to multicultural issues through involvement in Office of Multicultural Affairs and Ray Warren Multi Cultural Symposium; work with at-risk youth; contributions to Portland through work in the Portland Mayor’s Office

Nina Sugar-Carlsgaard: long-time volunteer at the Portland VA Medical Center; member of the board of directors at Fisher House for veterans in mental crisis; presenter at Student Speaker Series; academic excellence and role as editor-in-chief of The Meridian, Lewis & Clark’s annual International Affairs publication

Karen Taylor: commitment to access to education through academic work and participation in Alternative Spring Break programs to New Mexico and Cuba; presenter at Ray Warren Multicultural Symposium; Ethnic Studies SAAB representative

All award winners will be recognized at Honors Convocation on Thursday, May 16th at 3:00pm in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

The Center for Career and Community Engagement would like to thank President Glassner, Dean Jordan, and Dean Gonzalez for their support of these awards.