Florida Campus Compact honors Florida State nursing student
Each year, Florida's college students spend thousands of hours serving their communities and making a lasting difference in the lives of countless individuals. Now one of those students — Florida State University junior Sophia Khawly — is receiving statewide recognition for her efforts from a coalition of more than 50 colleges and universities committed to promoting community service, service learning and civic engagement.
Khawly, 21, a nursing major from Miami, has been named as one of three 2009 Excellence in Service Award winners by Florida Campus Compact. She was selected in the Four-Year Public College/University category; the other two winners are Stephanie Del Pino of Miami Dade College in the Community/State College category, and Hannah Duprey of the University of Tampa in the Private College/University category.
"To be honest, I was really surprised to be selected for the award," Khawly said. "I am honored to represent Florida State and show that young adults do care about bettering society. It is so wonderful that Florida Campus Compact identifies and rewards these young adults."
Khawly's multitudinous service and volunteer efforts are too numerous to name here. However, somewhere near the top of the list would be her involvement, since 2003, in Hope for Haiti's Children Inc. Working with that group, which she helped to establish as a young teen, Khawly has raised funds and written grants to build public schools in Port-au-Prince; bought and solicited school supplies and equipment; found sponsors for each student in the sponsored schools; and met with medical personnel to recruit them for summer mission trips. She also has traveled to Haiti a number of times, where she organized and ran health clinics in the schools. Now, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that recently struck the island nation, she says that Hope for Haiti's Children will incorporate building and sustaining orphanages into its mission as well.
At Florida State, Khawly has worked tirelessly on a variety of service projects through the Center for Leadership and Civic Education, which develops leadership skills through service learning. As a Service Scholar, she contributes a minimum of 75 volunteer hours per semester to a variety of social service and health organizations, including Westminster Oaks nursing home, Big Bend Cares (an HIV/AIDS service organization) and Habitat for Humanity. She also has mentored children in grades K-12; volunteered with an after-school program at a Boys & Girls Club; and assisted a county health department in reaching out to the community through diabetes screenings, HIV quick testing, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. In addition, Khawly helps international students to improve their English skills through Florida State's Center for Intensive English Studies.
Summers and spring breaks don't provide any down time either. Since 2007, Khawly has participated in the Alternative Break Corps, an organization that recruits young people to work on service projects around the country. Over her most recent spring break, Khawly assisted a group in Washington, D.C., that conducts HIV education, outreach and prevention efforts directed at the city's teens. On another recent trip, she volunteered with an organization for people with developmental disabilities in Indianapolis.
The value of helping others was instilled in her at an early age, Khawly said.
"My parents taught me the importance of community service the same way they taught me how to say 'please' and 'thank you,'" she said. "Serving others has always been a part of my life, a part of me. There is something about helping others that gives me a thrill. To know that I have contributed in making a difference in people's lives gives me a sense of accomplishment."
One person who has seen much of Khawly's work up close is Bill Moeller, co-director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Education. He expressed admiration for her drive and determination to help others.
"Two of the characteristics I really appreciate in Sophia are her sense of purpose and responsibility," he said. "She is always looking for ways to make a difference — how to improve what she observes. If something needs to be done, she steps forward to do it. As a student leader, she knows there is a 'burden to deliver,' and she is determined to succeed."
After earning her bachelor's degree, Khawly intends to follow up with a master's in public health and a doctorate in nursing practice.
"This will allow me to integrate clinical practice focusing on adult health with my interest in public health," she said. "I will work as a nurse practitioner in Florida, in clinics providing care to underrepresented populations, including rural and migrant populations. I will also continue my public health efforts in Haiti."
As an Excellence in Service Award winner, Khawly will receive $500, visible recognition for her efforts throughout the state, and free registration to the 2010 Student Scholars' Institute, which is being held Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Tallahassee. (Speaking at this year's institute are Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis and U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello.)