Service award-winner Takeia Johnson, left, with 2005 winner Nisha Hakhu
|
Beyond the Call of Duty
By Eva Emerson
This year’s USC Community Service Awards recognized 31 members of the
Trojan Family for their dedication to volunteerism and service.
Faculty, staff, alumni, students and community members were honored at
the April 12 banquet.
USC College’s Takeia Johnson took the Extraordinary Community Service
Award, the evening’s top student prize. Last year’s winner, Nisha Hakhu
(B.A., biological sciences and psychology, ’05) presented the 2006 award to Johnson, who
was recognized for her work and leadership with the service-based
sorority Delta Sigma Theta, the AJANI Higher Education Initiative
Foundation and the Urban Literary Society.
Johnson has served as president of the USC-based Upsilon chapter of
Delta Sigma Theta, and has been a dedicated mentor to high school girls
through the chapter’s Delta Academy. In 2005, she co-founded and
chaired the AJANI Initiative, which provides merit-based scholarships
to African-American women from greater Los Angeles, San Bernardino and
Orange counties who will attend a four-year university.
A senior majoring in English and political science, Johnson has also
excelled academically, and is a member of the Mortar Board, an honor
society devoted to scholarship, leadership and service.
Johnson called community service a privilege, and something she will
pursue long after she leaves USC. “In many ways,” she said, “I’ve
learned more about life from my service activities than my classes.
Service has shaped my character, and left me with a desire to keep
working for the community.”
She will attend law school in the fall.
Students Mallory Kozar and Olivia Chen each received an Outstanding
Community Service Award. In all, 19 student volunteers were awarded
more than $10,000 in scholarships, cash and charity donations.
|
|
|
