University of New England

2 UNE students receive awards from Maine Campus Compact

Two students at the University of New England will receive the Unsung Student Hero Award from the Maine Campus Compact (MMC), which recognizes students, staff and faculty members from colleges and universities across the state for their efforts to engage their respective campuses and communities. The MCC is a statewide coalition of college and university presidents established to enhance campus and community engagement.

2006 Compact award winners from UNE are Teresa Ruiz and Ashley R. Perkins.

Ruiz is a junior marine biology major from Kinderhook, NY, where she attended Ichabod Crane Central School. She has been a dedicated volunteer at the University’s Marine Science Rehabilitation Center on the Biddeford Campus since the fall of 2003. As a first-year student, she volunteered as a mentor with the Neighborhood Exchange, a program of the Citizenship Service Learning Center. After school, she worked as a mentor with a student in the Lincoln Middle School ESOL program. Since that time she has volunteered as a mentor with the Alternative Education Program at the Biddeford Middle School through the UNE College Community Mentoring Program.

Perkins is a junior dental hygiene major from Westminster, VT, where she attended Bellows Falls Union High School. She has been a dedicated volunteer and actively involved on the University’s Westbrook College Campus since her arrival in 2003. She has been a member of the Student Dental Hygiene Association, Peer Mentor, Orientation Leader and a Shining Star award recipient for her outstanding work as a peer tutor. In addition, she is an active volunteer with Portland’s Habitat for Humanity and the Wayside Soup Kitchen.

Unsung Student Hero Award
Maine Campus Compact recognizes two students from each member campus who have shown commitment to service with an Unsung Student Hero Award. These students show passion for civic causes and volunteer their time and services to address root causes. Students’ efforts may have been through service learning courses, extracurricular programming and/or their own initiatives.

(Press release issued May 9, 2006)