Community service highlighted at annual CEO luncheon and showcase

McDaniel College students, faculty and community partners were recognized April 30 at the College's annual Community Engagement Luncheon and Showcase organized by the Center for Experience and Opportunity (CEO).

Erin Giles ’15, associate director of community engagement for the Center for Experience and Opportunity, said, “My role wouldn’t be possible without the incredible enthusiasm and participation of… The students who go out of their comfort zone to seek out these volunteer or professional opportunities. The faculty who work tirelessly to build in these real-world experiences for their courses and their students. And, our community partners who give their precious time to mentor and connect with our students here on the Hill.”

Juniors Atticus Rice of Portland, Ore., and Jasmin Chavez of Falls Church, Va., served as student speakers at the event, and Rice was also honored by McDaniel President Roger Casey as the 2018 Newman Civic Fellow recipient. Read more about the award.

Atticus Rice was honored by McDaniel President Roger Casey as the 2018 Newman Civic Fellow recipient

Chavez, who was a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, spoke of her passion for service and advocacy and the opportunities provided by McDaniel, including earning a Griswold-Zepp award her freshman year to organize STEM workshops for at-risk youth in Falls Church, Va., and starting a League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) chapter on campus.

Also recognized were students who received 2018 Griswold-Zepp awards in student volunteerism. Learn more about their projects by watching the following video.

The Nora Roberts Foundation Faculty Award for Community Engagement, which provides McDaniel faculty members with financial support for projects that enrich student learning through community engagement activities, was awarded to Rob Smyth, a professor at McDaniel’s European campus in Budapest, Hungary. Smyth’s first year seminar class has created multimedia projects for MigHelp, a non-governmental organization in Hungary dedicated to providing education and employment opportunities to at-risk migrants.

Community partners highlighted at the event were Bryan Lyburn, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County, who spoke as the featured nonprofit speaker, and Ben Yingling '07 of Crawford Yingling Insurance in Westminster, Md.

Erin Giles '15 speaks at the April 30 CEO Community Engagement Luncheon and Showcase