Seeds of Change Recognition Event

Fairfax, VA April 18, 2017- The center for Social Action and Integrative Learning (SAIL) at George Mason University recently hosted their first annual Seeds of Change recognition event in Merten Hall. This event celebrated and recognized the impactful work that Mason students, staff and community partners have been able to facilitate over the past year. Among the audience members were Provost David Wu and Kelly Dunne, the Executive Director of the School of Integrative Studies. These outstanding administrators witnessed 23 students receive the Community Engagement Medallion for their work to bring positive change to their local, national and worldwide communities.

Student winners:

Ateeb Asim Psychology	Clara Benayed Integrative Studies	Jozslyne Carter Social Work
Jennifer Cotto Film and Video Studies	Tabatha Donley Global Affairs	Amber Falls Psychology
Patrick Finney Finance	Michael Galfetti Government and Philosophy	Brandon Juarez-Lopez Global Affairs
Breanne Kroehler Integrative Studies	Veronika Lozano Biology	Samuel Marcus Integrative Studies
Madison McCoy Conflict Analysis and Resolution	Nick McElroy History	Desmond Moffitt History
Jesse Muzzy Environmental and Sustainability Studies	Mai Nguyen Government and International Politics	Asia Noor Social Work
Katherine Smith Integrative Studies	Jenifer Stark Integrative Studies	Nicholas Stasiak Geography
Mckenna Underwood Communications	Kayla Vaughan Psychology

Students from across academic disciplines work in their communities on a variety of social justice issues such as: homelessness, sustainability, fair trade sales, and human trafficking. This important work contributes to the lives of the people they help and the community that they have focused on. All of the students recognized for this award have given back in many ways and have contributed to their community.

medallion winners

Patty Mathison, the Director of SAIL, was especially honored to present awards to the following community partners. “We are so grateful for the dedication, passion and thoughtfulness of our partners who take the time to educate and inspire our students." Each community partner welcomed in Mason students and aided them in their mission to bring about positive change in the Northern Virginia, D.C., and Maryland areas.

Carpenter’s Shelter	Wesley Housing Development Corp.
GMU Greenhouse	Cornerstones
Bethany House of NOVA	Shelter House
FACETS	Friends of the Guest House
Centreville Labor Resource Center	Paxton Campus
Northern Virginia Family Services	Adams Health Care Network
Mason’s Patriot Pantry

As part of the Seeds of Change recognition event, SAIL wanted to recognize and celebrate community engagement here at Mason and in particular the partnerships of community partners, faculty/staff and students working together towards positive social change. The following partnerships were highlighted during the event in recognition of what was created together.

Hampton Middle School Leadership Program and The LEAD Office at GMU	Friends of the Guest House and INTS Creativity for Social Action and Transformation
Freedom Connection

To wrap up the event, SAIL took time to recognize two faculty members who go above and beyond in their roles here at Mason to encourage students to think about their responsibility to the surrounding community. The following two faculty members were recognized as Outstanding Faculty Partners:

Dr. Suzanne Scott Constantine, School of Integrative Studies

Dr. Lauren Cattaneo, Psychology Department

April 27, 2017