Nominated by Melea Smith

During the past few years Meg has advanced to higher levels of leadership at Y.E.S. She stands out as a wonderfully committed, capable and inspiring student who has been dedicated to engaging with the local community. It has been rewarding to observe and support Meg as she developed and excelled in her roles as a volunteer, student leader and most recently, as a student staff member at Y.E.S.

Meg began her involvement in fall of 2015, volunteering for three consecutive semesters with two different programs: the Queer Mentoring and Advocacy Program (QMAP) and the Juvenile Hall Recreation Program (JHRP). She channeled her time and talents into student-led programs that focused on advocacy, social justice and relationship building with local youth. After volunteering consistently, Meg applied and was selected for a year-long leadership position at Y.E.S. As the Director of JHRP, Meg was responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting university volunteers. Meg successfully managed volunteer onboarding, planning and facilitating weekly meetings, and risk management procedures. Meg’s systematic method for screening and scheduling volunteers resulted in a quick onboarding process, an effective site visit schedule, and the most organized program binder that I have ever seen at Y.E.S. Meg was a solo director for one semester which made these accomplishments especially impressive given the large group size of JHRP (27 volunteers, nearly double the size of other Y.E.S. programs) and the additional background check required before volunteers could enter the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall. She and her co-directors created a cohesive group through cooperative practices and team building. Meg was committed to learning and helping volunteers think more deeply about restorative justice, trauma-informed approaches with youth, and mentoring as a prevention and intervention strategy.

Meg’s commitment to community building continued to deepen and expand. In fall 2019, Meg joined Y.E.S. as a Program Consultant, where Meg mentored, advised and supported peer leaders in program directors roles. Meg was instrumental in planning, facilitating and executing our weekly class and an intensive 3-day training retreat for 20 student program directors. Meg has shown her dedication to the Y.E.S., our numerous student-led programs, and to making a positive impact in the local community during her undergraduate career (and beyond). She applied and enhanced her exceptional organizational, communication and leadership skills to all she’s done at Y.E.S.