The UNMC College of Medicine has selected 12 students from the class of 2025 as recipients of the Service-Learning Leadership and Community Engagement Awards.
Curriculum Committee Chair Abbey Fingeret, MD, and her co-chair Keely Cassidy, PhD, congratulated the students on their achievements on behalf of the College.
The Service-Learning Leadership Award is awarded to individuals who demonstrate outstanding civic engagement, community awareness and personal development. Award winners demonstrate that they incorporate their experiences into their personal goals, perspectives and values. The recipients of this award are:
- Molly Antonson
- Aurora De Palma
- Kim Nguyen
- Jacob Owens
- Max Regester
- Curry Zalman
The Service-Learning Community Engagement Award is awarded to individuals who demonstrate active leadership in service learning with clear vision, innovation, and creativity. Award winners demonstrate strong initiative with clear impact, motivate others, and demonstrate a high level of integrity. The recipients of this award are:
- Sophie Gart
- Grace Kelly
- Joe Kleinsmith
- Emma Poulas
- Katie Weaver
- Andrew White
Typical nominators’ accolades included statements such as:
“This is an excellent candidate for the Service Learning Award. It supports his efforts to provide ongoing health care to the underserved in our community, to identify and evaluate new effective interventions to serve more people and improve the level of care received. And he goes a step further and makes the lessons learned and best practices available to a regional and national audience who want to continue to benefit from his work.”
“The YMCA is incredibly grateful for the time the student has invested and continues to invest in their community. There is no doubt about how hard and dedicated they are to their many academic and other goals. I truly admire how they make community members feel seen, heard and encouraged.”
“The student has demonstrated a remarkable ability to balance his academic responsibilities with his community commitment, setting an extraordinarily high bar for other students in service-learning leadership. It has been a privilege to work with the student and witness his development as a leader. His contributions have significantly improved the lives and health of many young people in our community, and I am confident that he will continue to teach, inspire, and guide others in the future.”
“They demonstrate sustained, visionary, and forward-thinking leadership as leaders in community engagement and service-learning. As their faculty advisor, I have personally witnessed their teamwork and vision in action, raising the standards of colleagues and engaging diverse partners. They are thoughtful in identifying gaps in partnership with community members, respecting their lived experience while drawing on their experience in poverty studies and community engagement to collaboratively develop solutions to pressing health issues.”
The selection committee was impressed by the applications and the students’ commitment to service-learning, adding that the students’ hard work, passion and perseverance have not only inspired the medical school but have also made a positive difference for the future of medicine.
