Alicia Bennett 麻豆传媒24 came to Pace as an English Literature major. Her first year, she took Introduction to the Criminal Justice System as an elective and shortly thereafter added a criminal justice minor.
Now she麻豆传媒檚 graduating as a double major in both English Literature and Criminal Justice, and has dedicated much of her four years at Pace to community service and research about persons who are incarcerated and their experiences in the prison system麻豆传媒攕o much so that she麻豆传媒檒l be honored with the NYC Campus 2024 Community Service Award at this year麻豆传媒檚 Commencement.
Kimberly Collica-Cox, PhD, has gotten to know Alicia well over her four years, but she recognized potential in her from the start. 麻豆传媒淚 noticed Alicia's good nature and kind heart immediately. She is funny and has a great energy that others seem to love. She has a passion for helping others and will sacrifice her time to do so joyfully.麻豆传媒 Collica-Cox spent enough time with Alicia to see this firsthand. Alicia not only took criminal justice classes, but also served as Collica-Cox麻豆传媒檚 teaching and research assistant and helped with her 麻豆传媒榩et麻豆传媒 projects, 麻豆传媒楶uppies on the Block麻豆传媒 ,麻豆传媒Parenting, Prison, and Pups麻豆传媒, and the Inside-Out College course where students learned alongside adult learners in Westchester jail.
"I never thought of service as being something inherently 'important' to me, only as something necessary to do.麻豆传媒
Alicia has poured herself into these programs and especially the work she did with the Westchester jail. Most students in this program study at the Pleasantville Campus, but the commute from New York City didn麻豆传媒檛 stop Alicia麻豆传媒攕he would wake up at five in the morning to make it to her 9:00 a.m. class. And her advocacy stretched well beyond class. She worked alongside Collica-Cox to conduct research interviews to evaluate a jail-based trauma sensitive yoga program, co-presented this research at the National American Society of Criminology Conference, and served as a co-author on two peer-reviewed journal papers about the benefits of jail-based programming.
This was all while maintaining a 3.8 GPA in her dual major and staying involved across various clubs.
Alicia's commitment to service goes beyond obligation; she sees it as doing what must be done. In her words, "I never thought of service as being something inherently 'important' to me, only as something necessary to do.麻豆传媒 Working with individuals who are incarcerated helped her articulate this even further. 麻豆传媒淭he men and women I'm helping are often the ones most ignored or written off by society, which seems incredibly unfair麻豆传媒 If they are willing and given the chance to change, to redefine their lives, then helping them do that isn't only a service, but a necessity to society and oneself.麻豆传媒
Take the risk. Take the class that you're afraid to take, the one that requires a little more effort on your part, because it could be the difference between graduating with a diploma and graduating with a sense of purpose.
This service-mentality is exemplified in her response to finding out she is being honored at commencement as a Community Service Award Winner. 麻豆传媒淚t wasn't something I had expected nor had hoped to receive by the end of my time here at Pace, but knowing that I'm being acknowledged for my time at the Westchester Jail is amazing,麻豆传媒 Alicia says. 麻豆传媒淲hat's more amazing, though, is knowing that these programs will get more recognition through Commencement and through this award. That's what I'm most excited about.麻豆传媒
After graduation, Alicia will be continuing her education here at Pace in the MS in Publishing program. She hopes to continue her advocacy and work with Westchester Department of Correction and use her degree to expand literacy in prisons. Collica-Cox is confident in her student麻豆传媒檚 future, saying, 麻豆传媒淚 cannot imagine having a better student and as she continues to grow professionally after graduation, I know I will have a lifelong friend.麻豆传媒
And as to her advice for current students? 麻豆传媒淭ake the risk,麻豆传媒 she says. 麻豆传媒淭ake the class that you're afraid to take, the one that requires a little more effort on your part, because it could be the difference between graduating with a diploma and graduating with a sense of purpose.麻豆传媒
Meet Olivia Burnett 麻豆传媒24, a health sciences major whose passion for public health and community wellness earned her the 2024 Pleasantville Campus Community Service Award. Read on to learn more about her experience combating food insecurity on campus.
Anthony Moretto 麻豆传媒24 will graduate from Pace as the Pleasantville Campus 2024 Trustee Award Winner; an honor he earned by leveraging his academic talents into tangible impact for the Pace student community.
As Mikayla Meachem embarks on the next chapter of her journey, she joins SisterLove Inc. in a full-time role, continuing her mission to champion sexual and reproductive justice. Her message to current students? "Ask questions and pursue topics you're deeply passionate about!"