Senior Jasmine Patterson is among 16 recipients of the Conference USA Winter Spirit of Service Award, which is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league's student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport.
"I'm really proud of Jasmine's award and her dedication to service," said track and field head coach Robert Olesen. "Community service, education and personal growth are all integral parts of the collegiate student-athlete experience and its fantastic that Conference USA recognizes this with this Spirit of Service Award and for Jasmine to be a winner."
Patterson, a Norwood native recorded top-10 individual finishes in the pole vault and javelin events during the indoor season. A double major in Spanish and economics, Patterson maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.973. She has made the Dean's List each semester and received the "Perfect Niner Award" twice for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA while competing on the track team.
"I'm so thrilled to have been named a C-USA Spirit of Service honoree," said Patterson. "Giving back to the community brings me such joy so I always try to fit time in my schedule for volunteering. Student-athletes are incredibly busy, and it can seem overwhelming to devote free time to service projects."
Outside of the classroom and off the track, She has participated in numerous community-related activities, including serving as a mentor at the Ronald McDonald House; volunteering at Levine Children's Hospital; working at Camino Nuevo, a school for children and adults with special needs in Peru; organizing a book drive at the International House of Metrolina; serving at a local women's shelter; and planning/organizing a dance marathon that raised more than $35,000 for Levine Children's Hospital.