On Thursday, April 6, the University of Montevallo, in conjunction with Shelby County Commission, will honor students involved in the Falcon Scholars in Action program. The annual Falcon Scholar Showcase recognizes the important work put forth by these students as they volunteer with a local non-profit for two semesters.
This semester, the work of 22 students from 10 different agencies will be honored. One of those students, junior social work major Ashley Carden, worked with Owens House for her service project.
As she started volunteering in August, she assumed she could make a large impact on the center. More than six months later, the opposite has happened. “I think its changed me more than I’ve changed the kids or Owens House,” she said.
While Carden was helping the children of Owens House, junior political science major Lily Elmore volunteered with the Shelby County Arts Council. Besides offering helpful clerical work and lending a hand at weekend events, Elmore brought her work back to campus by advocating for the council’s cause and purpose.
Elmore claims her time spent working with the county’s arts programming helped her connect to the community in a way she never has before. “I actually feel like a citizen of Shelby County, not just a UM student,” she said.
The annual Falcon Scholar Showcase will begin at 6 p.m. in Anna Irvin Dining Hall. For more information on the Falcon Scholars program, visit montevallo.edu/falcon-scholars-action.