Undergraduate
Saint Michael's senior receives Vermont Teddy Bear 2009 Student Citizen Award
Sarah Smith recognized for her tireless commitment to "Best Buddies"
Contact Information:
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
Inspired early on by her mother's record of volunteer service, Saint Michael's College senior Sarah Smith continued to volunteer through grade school and into college where she reinvigorated the Best Buddies program for people with intellectual disabilities, and other programs. Her work with Best Buddies was so outstanding that Ms. Smith was named the Vermont Teddy Bear 2009 Student Citizen in ceremonies held on the Saint Michael's campus Sunday, April 5. Ms. Smith was also recognized at the Vermont Campus Compact statewide conference on April 1 at the UVM Davis Center.
Ms. Smith, a Dean's List double major in English and sociology/anthropology, is the daughter of Douglas and Kate Smith of New Boston, N.H. She graduated from Goffstown High School before coming to Saint Michael's.
In nominating Sarah Smith for the award, which brought with it a $1,000 prize from Vermont Teddy Bear, Saint Michael's President John J. Neuhauser said, "What Sarah has done to develop the program and encourage people to really 'see' those with intellectual disabilities for who they are and the gifts they bring is truly inspirational. She is an advocate, a cheerleader, and a true mentor and leader for others in the program."
Starting her first year, Sarah worked with Best Buddies eventually taking on leadership and adding group field trips, crafts, practice with a Saint Michael's athletic team, and "Buddy Idol." She was successful in making Saint Michael's one of 25 sites to host a fundraiser for Best Buddies International and earned the campus honor of being named a national Chapter of Excellence as a result. Ms. Smith is also active in other service programs. She is a leader of pre-orientation service programs, TREK, and co-coordinator of the Special Events Program in the MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) office of Saint Michael's Edmundite Campus Ministry. Through that effort she organizes one-time service projects for students such as blood drives, serv-a-thons, and more. Ms. Smith has also participated in three extended service trips—to Kentucky, the Dominican Republic and Kolkata, India. This May she will be a leader on a three week trip to the Dominical Republic.
About her Best Buddies work Ms Smith said, "By bringing adults and teenagers with disabilities onto a college campus, and getting involved with a multitude of programs, I hope people begin to see that men and women with intellectual disabilities have unique gifts. My relationship with them has changed my life."
Saint Michael's College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Buff Lindau, Public Relations
802.654.2536
blindau@smcvt.edu
Inspired early on by her mother's record of volunteer service, Saint Michael's College senior Sarah Smith continued to volunteer through grade school and into college where she reinvigorated the Best Buddies program for people with intellectual disabilities, and other programs. Her work with Best Buddies was so outstanding that Ms. Smith was named the Vermont Teddy Bear 2009 Student Citizen in ceremonies held on the Saint Michael's campus Sunday, April 5. Ms. Smith was also recognized at the Vermont Campus Compact statewide conference on April 1 at the UVM Davis Center.Ms. Smith, a Dean's List double major in English and sociology/anthropology, is the daughter of Douglas and Kate Smith of New Boston, N.H. She graduated from Goffstown High School before coming to Saint Michael's.
In nominating Sarah Smith for the award, which brought with it a $1,000 prize from Vermont Teddy Bear, Saint Michael's President John J. Neuhauser said, "What Sarah has done to develop the program and encourage people to really 'see' those with intellectual disabilities for who they are and the gifts they bring is truly inspirational. She is an advocate, a cheerleader, and a true mentor and leader for others in the program."
Starting her first year, Sarah worked with Best Buddies eventually taking on leadership and adding group field trips, crafts, practice with a Saint Michael's athletic team, and "Buddy Idol." She was successful in making Saint Michael's one of 25 sites to host a fundraiser for Best Buddies International and earned the campus honor of being named a national Chapter of Excellence as a result. Ms. Smith is also active in other service programs. She is a leader of pre-orientation service programs, TREK, and co-coordinator of the Special Events Program in the MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) office of Saint Michael's Edmundite Campus Ministry. Through that effort she organizes one-time service projects for students such as blood drives, serv-a-thons, and more. Ms. Smith has also participated in three extended service trips—to Kentucky, the Dominican Republic and Kolkata, India. This May she will be a leader on a three week trip to the Dominical Republic.
About her Best Buddies work Ms Smith said, "By bringing adults and teenagers with disabilities onto a college campus, and getting involved with a multitude of programs, I hope people begin to see that men and women with intellectual disabilities have unique gifts. My relationship with them has changed my life."
Saint Michael's College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael's is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael's has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael's professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
