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Richter Center ambassadors, seated, left to right, Cassidy
Smith, Lindsey Hamilton, Melissa Watkins, Celeste Pilegard.
Standing, left to right, Daniel Cisneros, Daini Vargas, Leah
Rath, Dalitso Ruwe, Madhu Chowdhury. |
Nine new student ambassadors
of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and
Service-Learning at California State University, Fresno will promote the
center and the university’s community-service efforts.
The Richter Center ambassadors are Madhubanti Chowdhury, Daniel
Cisneros, Celeste Pilegard, Cassidy Smith and Melissa Watkins of Fresno,
Lindsey Hamilton of Tollhouse, Leah Rath of Prather, Dalitso Ruwe of
Boston and Maricela “Daini” Vargas of Los Angeles.
They were selected for demonstrating exceptional dedication to service
and a desire to share the values of community involvement with their
peers. They will organize and advocate for events and opportunities to
provide service.
Fresno State’s history of leadership in matching campus resources and
talents in service to the community’s needs has been recognized with the
2007 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Special
Achievement Award. The university also received Community Engagement
classification from the prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching in 2006.
President John D. Welty has challenged the campus to provide 1 million
hours of service to the community annually by Fresno State’s centennial
in 2011. Welty said the Richter ambassadors “will be key in bringing the
story of those million hours to life by demonstrating and extolling the
depth of the impact of Fresno State’s service efforts.”
The diversity of the ambassadors matches the Fresno State student body,
said Mellissa Jessen, assistant director of the Richter Center and
adviser to the students.
“What these students have in common is a genuine passion for service and
a shared belief that engaging in service enriches their university
education,” she added. “It is exciting that they now have the
opportunity to share this value with their peers while gaining
leadership experience.”
In applying for selection, Pilegard said, “Creating pride in the
difference the campus is making [in the community] can give all students
something to directly contribute to that is worthy of school spirit.”
She’s a sophomore psychology major who has been active in the Bulldog
Pantry, which provides food to needy families living near Fresno State.
Pilegard also is a student in the Smittcamp Family Honors College, which
includes community service as a requirement for participation.
She believes mobilizing students to community service will “lead to
massive improvement in the quality of life for citizens of this town and
even put Fresno on the map.”
The Jan & Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and
Service-Learning is dedicated to improving the education and development
of Fresno State students and helping improve the community through
service and learning.
For more information about the Richter Center ambassadors, contact
Jessen at 559.278.6986 or
mjessen@csufresno.edu.
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