The Extraordinary Community Service Award honors students and student organizations that exhibit the Volunteer spirit in the community.
Shahd Abbas
Shahd Abbas is a student leader in All Campus Theatre and Volunteer Short Films, two organizations where she found a home to practice her passions and provide opportunities for others, especially during a pandemic that limited theatre and film. Shahd has served as an orientation leader and an Ignite team leader.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a volunteer means being there and making a good difference for others. At UT, I was inspired to write a musical that advocates for mental health awareness and provides opportunities for fellow theatre and film students.
Joseph Paschall
Joseph Paschall is part of numerous organizations on campus. He serves as a VOLbreaks student director, Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature president, and Student Basic Needs Coalition Government Affairs director and Tennessee State chair.
Joseph has served as a healthcare worker taking care of vulnerable populations throughout the pandemic.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means being present and engaged with the community through times of comfort and distress. At UT, I have been empowered to engage with those around me to form a more encouraging and equitable environment for all.
UT has allowed me to work with people of different backgrounds and opinions that I would not have met elsewhere.
Christina Cho
Since her freshman year, Christina Cho has kept a part of herself in the Jones Center for Leadership and Service. From a Jones Center student coordinator to a VOLBreak leader, she has found a love for servant leadership and community involvement that will undoubtedly impact her as she continues her career.
Ashley Browning
Ashley Browning is a native of Belfry, Kentucky. She acquired a BS in correctional and juvenile justice studies from Eastern Kentucky University in 2008, an MA in sociology from East Tennessee State University in 2011, is a PhD student in the sociology program, and is obtaining a Cultural Studies in Education certificate.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
To me, being a Volunteer means serving the community and building connections to empower the UT and Knoxville communities. I became involved in service-learning as a course requirement, and it completely changed the way I viewed the connection between the community and academia. This has empowered me to consider areas of research surrounding vulnerability and resource accessibility for marginalized student populations that can improve the lives of future Vols.
Emily Sykes
Emily Sykes is passionate about inclusion, advocacy, and service. She has served more than 225 hours of volunteer service in the Knoxville community and abroad. She has been a peer mentor, camp counselor, and activity director for children and adults with specials needs. Emily believes that every voice deserve to be heard.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means putting others before yourself. From the very first time I heard the Torchbearer’s creed, I knew that UT was the place for me. I was instantly drawn to the Volunteer tradition of giving your all for those around you. The creed says, “One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.” To me, being a Tennessee Volunteer means always shining your light, so that others may see. UT opened the doors for me and gave me the chance to shine my light in places I would’ve never dreamed of going. Because of UT, I have had the opportunities to lead in Rwanda, grow at Camp Koinonia, and elevate my knowledge at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. I am so honored to be a part of the traditions at this school, and overjoyed to be able to call myself a Vol for Life!
Remote Area Medical
Remote Area Medical at UT has provided a community for students on campus to serve local non-profit organization Remote Area Medical by traveling to volunteer at their free clinics and headquarters to contribute to their mission to bring free, quality healthcare to those who need it.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
For RAM at UT, it means helping a great, local non-profit organization with its mission to solve an issue that is very relevant for the Knoxville community. While each of our members has a different story with RAM and UT, we are incredibly glad to be so close to many of RAM’s clinics and their headquarters to see firsthand the difference they are making for our surrounding communities.