Volunteer work pays off

By: Daniel Baxley [1]
Published On: Tuesday, September 1, 2009


After being awarded Next Generation Nonprofit Leaders Program scholarships, four ASU students are starting their final internships in preparation for careers in the nonprofit sector.

Alexandra Harmon, Traci Cowley, Samuel Richard and Alexandra Paul each received scholarships for their accomplishments and leadership potential within the nonprofit sector. The students were recognized for their nonprofit work with ASU's American Humanics program.

Cowley, a nonprofit leadership and management senior, said in order to complete the program students must take classes, volunteer and work a nonprofit internship. Cowley is working at FutureforKIDS, a children's mentoring program in the Phoenix area.

“It's just nice to know that every time you're going to work you're making someone's life better or helping someone's life improve,” she said.

The students will use the $4,500 scholarships provided by American Humanics, Inc. to offset the cost of tuition and costs associated with their mandatory senior internships. All four are members of American Humanics' national program, which trains college students for future careers at nonprofits.

During their time at ASU, the students have each spent countless hours doing community service, volunteering for nonprofit agencies and finding any way possible to give back to the community, said Jill Watts, director of capacity building initiatives at the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation.

“We are just so proud of our students to keep getting recognized on a national level,” Watts said.

Samuel Richard, a nonprofit leadership and management senior, was the president of the American Humanics Student Association for the 2008 academic year.

To earn the scholarship, Richard said students must display interest and commitment to the nonprofit industry.

“One of the great things about the program is that it is full of amazing talent,” Richard said. “Everyone there is well-equipped to change the world.”

Alexandra Harmon, a Spanish senior, participates in the program because it gives her the opportunity to help people.

In addition to volunteering for Young Life, a non-denominational Christian ministry for adolescents, Harmon spent a month in Peru doing a nonprofit internship.

Harmon said the internship allowed her to gain insight into the process and function of a nonprofit program in a different country.

“It's all about showing leadership and having a vision,” Harmon said.

Overall, 200 American Humanics students each year are awarded the scholarship, which is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The scholarship is intended to help students meet their American Humanics certification requirements, specifically the 300 hours of nonprofit internship credit.

American Humanics, Inc. has had a presence at ASU since 1980 and has programs at more than 70 different college campuses nationwide.

Watts said ASU has one of the strongest programs in the nation for preparing students for nonprofit careers.

“These are amazing people with very bright careers ahead of them,” she said.

Alexandra Paul, a nonprofit leadership and management senior, said she participates in the program because it provides her the opportunity to work for a job that positively impacts society.

Paul said she believes nonprofit work is a great way to directly help people and work toward a good cause.

“That's the beauty of it,” she said. “People assembling together to do something good for other people.”

Reach the reporter at daniel.baxley@asu.edu.