Volunteers Honored for 11,111 Hours of Service

By Office of Media Relations •March 4, 2011

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Volunteers Honored for 11,111 Hours of Service

29 Students, Employees and Alumni Give Equivalent of 463 Days of Service

The final tally:  11,111 hours, or a cumulative 463 days.

That’s how much time 29 members of the UT Dallas family spent in community service last year.  In recogition for their efforts, the students, staff, faculty and alumni recently were honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award at a reception hosted by the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement.

Created in 2003 by the Council on Service and Civic Participation, the President’s Volunteer Service Award promotes a service ethic and recognizes Americans who give back to their communities. The award includes a certificate of achievement, a President’s Volunteer Service Award lapel pin, a note of congratulations from the President of the United States and a letter from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

“People notice and they are really thankful for volunteers,” said School of Management graduate student Dypti Lulla, graduate chair of Golden Key Honour Society who worked in several different volunteer programs in 2010. “The appreciation encourages me to continue in my volunteer service.”

Any individual, family or group can receive presidential recognition for annual commitments to volunteer service.  Individuals who serve a minimum of 100 hours during a one-year period are eligible. Since UT Dallas began coordinating with the program in 2006, 431 University volunteers have logged more than 75,000 hours of service.

“The President’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize the significant contribution of time and talent that UT Dallas faculty, staff and students provide to our region to make a difference in the lives of others. This is an important way that our University affirms its commitment to public service and connects us to the community,” said Raul Hinojosa, director of community engagement.

Volunteers gave their time to causes ranging from teaching chess in after-school clubs to granting wishes through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The University’s Living Learning Communities also contributed 2,994 hours of service, raising UT Dallas’ service to 14,105 hours.

Rick Milteer, a staffer in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, mentors young, at-risk males growing  up without one or both parents. The former Olympic runner uses both educational and athletic settings to reach out.

“I help them bridge the gap between them wanting to go to college and understanding what it takes to get there,” he said. “I help these kids get their lives in order so they can be college-ready.”

As assistant director of the UT Dallas Office of Student Volunteerism, Monalisa Amidar sees the benefits of volunteering from both perspectives – the benefit to the community and to students.

“By engaging in community service and volunteer events, college students gain the opportunity to learn more about their campus and local community, make new friends, explore career and personal interests, develop new skills, and become more marketable to graduate schools and employers,” she said.  

Service Award Recipients

President’s Call to Service Award for Lifetime Volunteering

Given to individuals who have volunteered more than 4,000 hours over a lifetime

Benjamin Linke, junior, molecular biology

Karan Patel, senior, biochemistry

Gold Award*

Benjamin Linke, junior, molecular biology

Charmaine Sarpong, accountant, Human Resources Management, 1,070 hours

Derek Nguyen, Terry Scholar, senior, double majoring in business administration and biology, 601 hours

Karan Patel, 1,209 hours

Linlea Schwarz, senior, biology, 485 hours

Lye-Yeng Wong, McDermott Scholar, sophomore, neuroscience, 1,330 hours

Nancy Latner (MA ’07), 500 hours

Sid Nivas, McDermott Scholar, undeclared major, 361 hours

Tharun Paruchuri – senior, biochemistry, 350 hours

Thuy “Ellen” Nguyen – sophomore, biology, 318 hours

UT Dallas Living Learning Communities – cumulative 2,994 hours

Silver Award*

Paula Austell, assistant director of endowment services, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 273 hours

Megan Malone, doctoral student, School of Arts and Humanities, 340 hours

Rick Milteer, network support specialist, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, 308 hours

Andrew Previc, McDermott Scholar, junior, political science, 179.25 hours

Saskia Versteeg, McDermott Scholar, junior, physics, 180 hours

Bronze Award*

Dr. Alexey Root, senior lecturer, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, 112.65 hours

Amanda Trieu, sophomore, biochemistry, 102 hours

Apeksha Saxena, McDermott Scholar, junior, biology, 114.5 hours

David Bindel (BS ’07, MS ’09), McDermott Scholar, graduate student, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, 114 hours

Diana Kao, senior, literary studies, 174.5 hours

Dypti Lulla, graduate student, School of Management, 139.5 hours

Grace Lee, graduate student, School of Management, 117 hours

K Royal, doctoral student, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, 103.5 hours

Lauren Sechrist, McDermott Scholar, senior, business administration, 107.5 hours

Maija Wallace, McDermott Scholar, junior, international political economy, 145 hours

Mitzi Gomez (BS ’10) , 108.5 hours

Dr. Nicolas Valcik, associate director, Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis, 128 hours

Patrick Nguyen, Academic Excellence Honors scholarship recipient, senior, biology, 163 hours

Saheli Nath, McDermott Scholar, senior, economics, 151 hours

*Award criteria vary based on age and other factors. See the award’s website for more information.