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2023 Extraordinary Community Service (Students and Student Organizations)

The Extraordinary Community Service Award honors students and student organizations that exhibit the Volunteer spirit in the community.

Ashleigh Skipper

Ashleigh Skipper

Ashleigh Skipper is a senior finance major minoring in leadership studies–honors and entrepreneurship, with a collateral in international business. She was competitively selected for the Smith Global Leadership Scholars, Honors Leadership, and Haslam’s Torch Fund programs. Skipper is active in many organizations across campus and is a Haslam Ambassador.

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 is more than just being a student on Rocky Top. To me, it meant developing personally and professionally throughout my time on campus and leaving behind a positive impact on the communities and people who supported me along that journey. My time at UT has allowed me to experience a truly unique experience where I was able to meet diverse people that challenged my way of thinking, take advanced courses that made me work harder, and to get involved in organizations and programs that allowed me to discover passions. I built relationships with peers and alumni that proved just how important mentorship can be, and I hope to serve as a resource for fellow Vols down the line.”


Brooklyn Barnes

Brooklyn Barnes

Brooklyn Barnes is a Chancellor’s Honors student from Milan, Tennessee, studying kinesiology and neuroscience. On campus, she is vice chair of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Board, communications director and secretary for the Kinesiology Student Association, and student building manager in the Student Union.

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 serving your community in a way that empowers and inspires. Growing up in a small town, I always tried to find ways to get involved in my community and make a positive impact. When I arrived on campus, I immediately tried to find ways to get involved in my on-campus community, and quickly after I branched out to the Knoxville community. UT provides the same passion as I do about what it means to be a Volunteer and the importance of being an active member of your community, which has given me a sense of support to go out and share that passion to positively impact and inspire my new community.”


Dhruv Patel

Dhruv Patel

Dhruv Patel is pursuing a degree in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology with a minor in public health and another minor in entrepreneurship. As a CORE leadership volunteer with Remote Area Medical, he has helped thousands of underserved patients around the nation get the care they need. Patel will be attending medical school in the fall at UT Health Science Center.

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 being intelligent, passionate, and selfless about your beliefs. Not only did UT help foster my knowledge and understanding of health care, but they also backed me financially for my nonprofit work. This is something very few universities would’ve done. Because of that, I was able to volunteer with Remote Area Medical and see thousands of patients that I believe could not have happened anywhere else.”


Eva Karnowski

Eva Karnowski

Eva Karnowski, a Knoxville native, is a nursing student in the Honors Leadership Program. On campus, she was involved in Student Government Association, UT Ambassadors, Student Alumni Associates, and Leadership Knoxville Scholars. She also volunteers as a swim coach and devotes time to a harm reduction clinic to assist individuals with substance use disorders.

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 involves finding ways to uplift the community. Volunteers pour themselves into individuals to ensure they leave an organization, place, or group better than they found it. True Volunteers focus on ways to serve their community rather than how the community can benefit them. The Volunteer Spirit shines brightly all over UT campus. The sense of giving back to your community to enhance generations to come is something extraordinary on UT’s campus and sets it apart from any other university. UT and the Volunteer community have empowered me to go forth and inspire change wherever I go.”


Lucille Marret

Lucille Marret

Lucille Marret, of Knoxville, is studying political science, concentrating in international affairs with minors in global studies and business administration. During her collegiate career, she has been active in the Chancellor’s Honors Program, undergraduate research, Baker Scholars, and VOLeaders Academy while also competing on the rowing team.

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?

“My time at Tennessee has shown me that being a Volunteer means using your platform and talents to positively impact the lives of those around you. It means quietly leading by example and committing yourself to always doing the right thing. It means recognizing the opportunities you have been given and working to make those same opportunities available to others. It means challenging yourself in order to make someone else’s burden lighter. The people here at Tennessee have empowered me to give back to a community that continues to pour into me and light the way for other females, other athletes, and other ambitious young people to achieve their goals like I have been able to achieve mine.”


Lygia Karagiozis

Lygia Karagiozis

Lygia Karagiozis is a senior majoring in marketing and minoring in advertising and public relations from Knoxville. She enjoys staying active on and off campus. On campus, she serves as president of the American Marketing Association and a Haslam Student Ambassador, and she is a 1794 Honors and Scholars Program graduate. Off campus, she is an Altar’d State marketing intern, the Knoxville Greek Fest’s marketing chair, a competitive Greek dancer, Greek dance director, Sunday school teacher, Young Adult League chair, and the Vacation Bible School coordinator at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. She loves giving back and serving her local community.

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 giving back and making a meaningful impact in your local community. Through helping those with love, kindness, and compassion, a Volunteer dedicates their efforts and talents to serving others. UT has provided me endless opportunities to grow as a community leader and help those through the talents that I have. Through the encouragement of the university and my loved ones, I felt supported enough to make my impact as an adult in the community that I grew up in. UT’s mission to enhance the well-being of others has shined through their faculty and staff, which has allowed me as a student to take ownership within my community and serve in ways that I never thought possible.”


Lyndsey Huizenga

Lyndsey Huizenga

Lyndsey Huizenga is a supply chain major with a minor in leadership and collateral in business analytics, graduating magna cum laude. She is a member of the Lady Vols swim and dive team and has achieved inclusion on the SEC academic honor roll all four years. She has volunteered over 450 hours to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital serving the neonatal intensive care unit. She is an active member in Women of Haslam, an executive member for VOLthon with the Family Relations Committee, and executive member for engagement with the Tennessee Undergraduate Consulting Club. She represented Tennessee at the 2023 Super Bowl in Phoenix and is a member of Chi Omega.

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 everything to me. We are Volunteers in itself. Volunteering is a huge part of my life, and being somewhere that has it in its name, no other school has that. It is inspiring. When I volunteer, I represent myself, my swim team, my sorority, the school as a whole. It is much bigger than myself, and it is a privilege to be a part of. I get to represent and be the Volunteer spirit for those who came before me, who will come after me, and who are my peers now.”


SGA (Student Government Association)

SGA (Student Government Association)

The Student Government Association provides the student body with a means to express their views and advocate for change. This past year, SGA has hosted events and passed legislation to improve the experience of FUTURE program students on game day, women at the TREC, and to honor Alex Haley.

How does your organization embody the Volunteer Spirit? How do you light the way for others?

“The Student Government Association embodies the Volunteer spirit through its belief that all students deserve someone that will believe in them and help them make the change they wish to see on campus. The mission of this organization is to impact not only its members, but every student who enters the University of Tennessee. SGA lights the way for others by connecting them to other students, higher-level administrators, and campus departments that will help them grow not only as an individual but understand the power of their advocacy.”