The UCSC is proud to introduce four outstanding students from across the University who are demonstrating a high level of engagement in community and civic life and achieving incredible things in our communities. Read on to learn about their accomplishments and goals for the future.
President's Volunteer Service Award Winners: Caroline Kelly and Charlie Willard
The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes students who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to voluntary service in the greater community during the past academic year.
Caroline Kelly
Caroline Kelly is a student at the Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, who in the past year has volunteered as a Community Action Team member for the Southeast Side Expanded Mental Health Services Program addressing gaps in mental healthcare in Kenwood, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore. Her engagement with community members helped to spur the recent success of a ballot measure to open a community-funded mental health center.
"Being a part of a grassroots-led initiative to create a mental health center on the South Side during my time at UChicago has underscored the importance of community-building and fighting for the change you want to see."
Charlie Willard
Charlie Willard is an Astrophysics student who organized several night sky viewing public programs in the past academic year which engaged young people and families from around the south side, and created community access to some of the University’s finest scientific resources, including the Ryerson telescope.
"My education has fostered my passions for science and astronomy, but being able to share that passion beyond the university community is an invaluable skill only acquired outside the classroom."
Perry Herst Prize Winners: Kaitlyn Dodgen and Bianca Ward
The Perry Herst Prize (PHP) recognizes the achievement of two to three graduating seniors in the College who have successfully integrated their academic studies with community engagement in a way that has enriched both sets of activities.
Kaitlyn Dodgen
Kaitlyn Dodgen is a Public Policy major and an Education & Society minor whose work in community – through Tutoring Chicago and at the Fuller School of Excellence – has enriched and informed her academic work, while that academic work has helped her be an effective teacher and advocate for young people, and to create a strong and meaningful track record of promoting educational equity and increasing educational resources for marginalized students.
"My work inside classrooms and with students drove me to further study education policy, specifically looking at education equity."
Bianca Ward
Bianca Ward is an Economics major and History and Human Rights minor who has leveraged her skills in research and analysis to develop physical and virtual exhibitions at the Regenstein Library, including exhibitions which explore women’s reproductive liberation and the AIDS crisis in 20th Century America, with a focus on the south side and the involvement of UChicago students in those movements.
"Through my civic engagement, I have not just enriched my own learning and creative experiecnes at UChicago but have hopefully inspired others in my community to embrace complex subject matters by pairing their academic interest with their creative passions."