At Oglethorpe, students are turning their passion for service into action through the new “Serve for Good” initiative. Organized through the Intercultural Center, the initiative invited students to pitch community service projects that could impact the local community.
The most compelling proposals received a mini-grant to fund their ideas and worked closely with the Serve for Good student-leaders, Yulianna Aceves ’26 and Emily Raider ’25.
As leaders of the initiative, Aceves and Raider built the program by setting foundational goals, like increasing student participation in civic engagement opportunities across Atlanta. The two also served as a point of contact for each project leader, offering technical assistance, ensuring they had the proper resources, and witnessing firsthand how much OU students care to give back.
“Being able to lead this initiative and be part of something so impactful has truly shown me what it means to be an ally to your community,” said Aceves. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together!”
The four grant awardees were:
STEM Workshops at Oakcliff Elementary School:
This initiative, led by David Raygoza, Karina Lopez Duran, and Blair Barnes, brought interactive physics activities to 90 elementary students and offered educational resources to students’ families.
“We wanted to convey that higher education is important for everyone, especially for minority groups to succeed,” said Raygoza.
Little Queer Library:
Fynn Grindle, Jennah Waters and Gabby Acencio recognized a lack of inclusive sex education for queer students. Their solution led to the creation of an educational and welcoming little library with resources, zines, and queer literature.
Historical Preservation of Piney Grove:
Heidi Ullman, a Spanish major who works in the university archives, recognized the rapid rate of gentrification in Atlanta and its effects on the local and historic African-American community of Piney Grove. She organized an event for Oglethorpe students to hear from Friends of Piney Grove members and celebrate their stories.
Operation Feed Atlanta:
Aware of the difficulty of getting out in Atlanta without a car, Jourdan Russell organized a meal-packing event on campus where 13 students assembled 100 bags and extra goods for Atlanta Public Schools to combat food insecurity.
“Your access to transportation shouldn’t prevent you from helping the community,” said the international studies major.
The award selection committee included Autumn Johnson ’20, associate director of donor relations and stewardship; Holly Joseph, senior director of advancement operations; Raquel Manzo, assistant director of first gen & student support programs; Dr. Peter Kower, professor of economics; and Austin Rayford, director of equity & care.
“In 23 years of being involved in civic engagement, these four projects are the best I’ve seen,” said Dr. Kower.
Each of these projects showcased the compassion and leadership of Oglethorpe students. Serve for Good not only brought creative solutions to real-world problems, but it also deepened Oglethorpe’s connection to the community.
