St Michael’s College Senior Katherine Hackett has been recognized for service & engagement by Vermont Campus Compact and was also named a Newman Civic Fellow by national Campus Compact
She is the leader of the Best Buddies program which pairs scores of Saint Michael’s College students each year with people from the community with cognitive and physical disabilities. She single-handedly recruited more than 45 people to take the Penguin Plunge into icy Lake Champlain this winter, raising $3,500 in support of Vermont Special Olympics, a program involving many Best Buddies participants. And this is only the beginning.
She is Katherine Hackett, a senior sociology/anthropology major at Saint Michael's College, daughter of William and Madeleine Hackett of Huntington, N.Y. She was recognized April 7th for her outstanding community service by Vermont Campus Compact at their 2011 Statewide Awards Ceremony held in Montpelier at the Capital Hotel and Conference Center. Ms. Hackett was named the Saint Michael’s recipient of the Commitment to Service & Engagement Award.
This week Ms. Hackett was named a Newman Civic Fellow by the national Campus Compact organization. 135 students from 30 states are being honored as Newman Fellows, a recognition that singles out “inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country.” Newman Fellows are nominated by college presidents from each state.
Last year Ms. Hackett studied on a Saint Michael's College, Lacey competitive fellowship at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in Ecuador, focusing on Spanish language and Ecuadorian history, in Spanish-only classes. She also worked 20 hours a week at Fundacion Integrar, a program for children with disabilities, and lived with an Ecuadoran family in Quito.
Ms. Hackett has worked in Saint Michael’s Extended Service programs in soup kitchens, shelters and with Habitat for Humanity in Hartford, Conn., and New Orleans. Upon graduation this year, she will travel to the Dominican Republic to continue service work. She is also active in Saint Michael's College student government, the admission office, campus ministry and new student orientation. She has represented Saint Michael’s, speaking on many occasions, most recently at the 2010 Academic Convocation.
“Katherine has demonstrated an extraordinary willingness to give of herself,” said Heidi St. Peter, director of the Saint Michael’s volunteer service program. “She has made a real difference in people’s lives.”