Campus community service leaders recognized
By Anna Andreyeva
May 24, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Students, parents and staff gathered to celebrate this
year’s recipients of the Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award
in the Kerckhoff Grand Salon on Monday afternoon.
The award is designed “to recognize and promote the value
of community service to all forms of education,” said Vice
Chancellor of Student Affairs Janina Montero, who gave the
introductory speech and introduced the recipients.
Established in 1986 by the Community Service Planning Commission
as the Chancellor’s Humanitarian Award, it was renamed in
1997 during Chancellor Young’s last year at UCLA to
acknowledge his dedication to promoting community service.
The three recipients, selected out of more than 40 applicants,
each wore a corsage denoting the honor and received a plaque and
$500 for the community service project of their choice. Their names
will also be engraved on a permanent plaque in Kerckhoff Hall.
Donna Lee, a fifth-year biology student, is one of the
recipients this year. She participated in Project Literacy since
her freshman year and served as the program’s administrative
director this year.
Project Literacy is part of the Community Service Commission,
which represents more than 20 student-run service projects.
“I feel honored and proud to represent Project Literacy
because working with the organization for so long and seeing the
dedication and work required from volunteers is very
inspiring,” Lee said.
Another recipient, Mish Mizrahi, a fourth-year biology student
minoring in developmental psychology, was a co-director of the
Watts Tutorial Program, which is also part of the Community Service
Commission.
The Watts project works with students from elementary through
high school grade levels who reside in Nickerson Gardens, a federal
housing project.
The goals of the project are to encourage learning through
one-on-one tutoring and present tutors as role models.
“I am extremely excited and really surprised that I got
(the award); there are so many people that deserve it. I am proud
to accept it on the behalf of the Watts Tutorial Project,”
Mizrahi said.
The award money she received will go toward paying for a trip to
Disneyland for students of the Watts Tutorial Project ““ many
of whom have never been there.
Anica McKesey, a fifth-year political science and African
American studies student and Undergraduate Students Association
Council president, received the award for her involvement in the
SHAPE outreach program.
SHAPE works with socioeconomicially disadvantaged junior high
and high school students, their families and teachers to promote
education through tutoring and mentorship. It is run by the African
Student Union.
“I think (the award) is a good way the university lives up
to its commitment to community service by donating to different
community service projects,” McKesey said.
The application process for the award and the recognition
ceremony was organized by Zoila De La Pena, management services
officer for the Center for Student Programming.
