2020 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards
Student Award Winner: Axel Herrera Ramos
The Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards recognize annually one community partner, one faculty member, and one graduating senior for their outstanding commitment to the ideals of service-learning. Axel has taken part in several service-learning courses at Duke, both as a student and a service-learning assistant (SLA).
From nominator Kimmie Garner, Assistant Director of Duke Service-Learning:
“Axel cares deeply about community-engaged work and his service-learning peers. His contributions to the vitality and direction of our Service-Learning Assistant (SLA) program for four consecutive academic semesters demonstrate the power of student leadership. His continual efforts to strengthen faculty and student relationships, both within and beyond the classroom, exemplify Betsy Alden’s vision of building more humane relationships through tangible action.”
“Axel is special because he is not afraid to speak up for his community’s rights, and when he does, people listen,” wrote Daisy Almonte (Duke ‘20). Citation: The Chronicle.
Axel Herrera Ramos (Duke ‘20), a double major in Economics and Sociology, was born in Honduras and immigrated to the United States at the age of seven with his family. He currently calls Durham, North Carolina home and has developed a commitment to his local community through activism, mentorship, and civic involvement. As both a DACA recipient and a first-generation college student, he is passionate about immigration issues and higher education access. Citation: The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, CHCI
“I am thankful that this award exists not only because it recognizes individuals, but also because it allows others to appreciate that service work is not marginal.”
ABOVE: AXEL HERRERA RAMOS WAS A SERVICE-LEARNING ASSISTANT (SLA) FOR BRIDGING CULTURES: LATINO LIVES AND EXPERIENCES IN NORTH CAROLINA (SPANISH 313). THE PHOTO ABOVE IS FROM A PHOTO REFLECTION ON HIS EXPERIENCE AS A SERVICE-LEARNING ASSISTANT (SLA) IN THE COURSE.