Students Recognized with President’s Volunteer Service Award

Many students in the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University are dedicated community volunteers. Six of them; Iyanna Dandrea, Jasmine Alexander, Jayla Dubose, Drayton Gilchrist, Kenneth Glover and Mary Salter have been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for their commitment to community service.

The civil honor bestowed by the U.S. president, honors young adult volunteers who spend at least 100 hours within a 12-month period helping others. The students’ volunteer hours were logged through the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement (OCLE) between February 2019 and February 2020.

“It is an honor to see my contributions to the Statesboro community be acknowledged, especially on a national platform,” said Gilchrist, a senior double major in supply chain management and marketing. “This proves that I’m on the right track, and I will use it as motivation to continue to grow and to encourage others who want to do the same.”

Gilchrist’s volunteer work included cleaning Georgia Southern’s campus on Sundays, assisting at the local food bank and handing out flyers with important information such as voter registration, mental health and financial literacy. Community service has always played a large role in his life, he said.

“Seeing my mother out in our community serving food to children and growing vegetables to distribute to those who truly needed them instilled community service in me,” he said. “Another inspiration came from my brothers in the Men of Vision and Excellence. Seeing their engagement with the local community proved that it would be a perfect fit for me.”

Recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Award receive a personalized certificate, a letter signed by the president of the United States and a pin, coin or medallion.