Over GW 2,200 students, faculty, and staff - including the Presidential Fellows - participated in GW’s ninth annual Freshman Day of Service and Convocation (FDoS) on Saturday, September 9th and logged 7,765 hours of community service.
The service day, organized by the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, is part of GW’s annual remembrance of Sept. 11, initially kicked off by First Lady, Michelle Obama’s challenge nine years ago when the University set a goal to complete 100,000 hours of service. Last year, then President Steven Knapp committed GW to joining the 9/11 Day’s Tomorrow Together service initiative.
GW’s new President Thomas LeBlanc welcomed GW’s bicentennial class (class of 2021) and his first class of GW freshmen.
Current Fellows Dor Hirsh Bar Gai, Ian Tang, Gabriela Madrid, Helen Christy Powell and Alex Wang joined the Nashman Center staff in assisting with the event’s logistics. I also joined other current fellows Zunara Naeem and Grace Mausser, along with other freshman group leaders to participate in and facilitate service for freshmen students across 40 service sites in the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas. At Fort Stanton Park, I worked alongside members of GW Veterans and a dedicated team of forty GW students to restore a recreational area. Together, we braved the humidity and filled a dumpster to its capacity.
The Presidential Fellows Program Director, Robert Snyder, joined volunteers at A Wider Circle. Meanwhile Administrative Advisor Peter Konwerski circulated through service sites at Whittier Education Campus, the Foggy Bottom Association Park, and the McKinley Technology High School.
I am proud to join in the Presidential Fellowship program’s legacy of service to both the GW community and DMV community at large. Thank you to the Honey W. Nashman Center for all of your hard work in organizing this great GW tradition.