On April 19, 2022, The Center for Civic Engagement held its annual Civic Engagement Showcase and Awards Ceremony. The event began with the audience getting the opportunity to walk around and interact with many scholars about their projects. Many groups – including the Drew Student Voter Project, Run For A Cause and Volunteers Without Borders, amongst others – showcased their work.
The room was full of faculty, parents, Action Scholars, Civic Scholars and Drew Students. Conversations consisted of curiosity questions about the programs and their future plans. All showcasing teams had posters filled with group information and how the audience can get involved. While mingling with peers and faculty, attendees enjoyed the Award Ceremony tradition of grapes and cupcakes.
After around 30 minutes, the ceremony began with Amy Koritz, Center for Civic Engagement Director, introducing the ceremony and handing it off to Frank Merckx, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Campus Life to present the first award.
The first award, which was a Staff Leadership award, went to Monica Madera for developing and supporting opportunities at Drew University. The Thomas D. Syales Jr. Student Award for Outstanding Service to The Community went to Kim Haupt (’23) and Hannah Winter (’23) who demonstrated exceptional commitment to Drew and the larger community. The Graduate Student Community Action Award went to Lance Lee (Doctoral Candidate at Caspersen School of Graduate Studies) for his endeavors with community engagement. The Ben Salmon Service Recognition Award was then awarded to Hunter Gllin (’23) who enhanced Drew’s campus through his actions and involvement. The Collaborative Action Award was presented to the Drew Performing Art Access Collaborators (DPAAC), specifically Alyssa Sileo (’22), who founded and led an effective collaboration that accomplished community service. DPAAC’s community service was showcased at this ceremony through the screen on the side of the podium which displaced all the speeches as spoken.
Kareena Salvi (’23) received the Class of 1985 Senior Gift Award for her promising vision for the community. Ten NCJJ Changerbuilders were given certificates, as well as Ciara Lyons (’ 22) and Betsy Essien (’ 23), received the Changebuilders Scholarship Award for their involvement and demonstration of their commitment to the highest values of the community. Finally, the Faculty Leadership Award went to two faculty members for the first time in over a decade, given to Dr. Lisa Jordan, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sustainability, and Dr. Jonathan Golden, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies.
With a standing ovation, a recognition award was given to prior Assistant Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, Amy Sugarman. Her devotion and commitment to the Center for Civic Engagement was described as “unmatched.” The Center for Civic Engagement took this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work over the years, as Sugarman retired in December of 2021.
As the event concluded, Koritz encouraged everyone to come to the Action Scholars Town Hall This Friday, April 22, which will showcase first-year Action Scholars’ work from 1-4 p.m. in the EC.
To end the evening, Lisa Jordan and Chris Ceraso introduced a video performance in their partnership with Advantage Arts. The video showcased Newark High School Students from the program.
