Jefferson Awards

The Jefferson Awards for Public Service recognize individuals for their public and volunteer service, and dedication to improving the quality of life in their communities.

Faculty, staff, and students can nominate any individual from the Pace University community. Self-nominations are also welcome. Nominations are typically due in October each year.

Online Nomination Form

The most up-to-date information about the application and nomination process can be found on the Jefferson Awards website.

Pace University is a Jefferson Awards Foundation Champion. Champions are organizations that partner with the Jefferson Awards Foundation to engage in meaningful public service and celebrate their communities with Jefferson Awards.

For more information, contact Heather Novak, Associate Director on our Pleasantville campus at hnovak@pace.edu, or Erin Mysogland on our New York City campus at emysogland@pace.edu.

2023–2024 Pace Bronze Medal Award winners

Kelly Danko

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Kelly Danko ’25 is an Early Childhood and Childhood Education major in the School of Education with a concentration in English in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences on the New York City campus. Her number one goal in life is to change as many students’ lives as possible. Kelly’s love and dedication for education began as early as middle school when she sought out volunteer programs that were education-based and attended a vocational high school where she studied education and human services. At Pace, she works as a team leader for the non-profit Jumpstart program, which helps promote literacy as well as social and emotional skills among preschool students in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and prepares them for Kindergarten. Since this is her second year at Jumpstart, she has seen some of the children grow in age but also in academic abilities, which is one of her favorite components about working at Jumpstart. In addition to her classroom service, Kelly’s role as a team leader also consists of leading a group of other Jumpstart employees and preparing them for the sessions at the preschool. Through this, she has gotten to work alongside many hardworking individuals who have helped her grow her teamwork and leadership skills. Besides her work at Pace, she also holds other positions in the education field such as working at a before and aftercare program, substitute teaching at her old elementary school, and student teaching in New York City schools.

Sarah Delannoy, MSW

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Sarah Delannoy, MSW, is the Pace site manager of Jumpstart in the Center of Undergraduate Research on the New York City campus. This is part of the nationally based, non-profit Jumpstart program dedicated to supporting early childhood education through collaborative partnerships with institutions of higher education. Sarah provides ongoing work-study, volunteer, and summer internship opportunities at three Head Start preschool locations, serving over 250 children since 2021. Under Sarah’s leadership and oversight, she has recruited and trained 50 college students to work with Jumpstart’s preschool partner sites. In 2022, Sarah collaborated with Jumpstart and preschool partners to host a nationwide reading event, Read for the Record (RFTR), which invites children’s book authors to provide access to high-quality books to underserved communities. Through RFTR, volunteers included Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, NY State Assembly District 74, and the RFTR selected book author, Antwan Eady, to support with storybook reading during the event with Pace students. The event secured a $15k sponsorship to Jumpstart, which was the highest donation the organization has received from their corporate volunteers. Sarah also works closely with Pace’s School of Education to support students with fieldwork and to increase access to trained early education professionals in the classrooms. Sarah has recruited and supervised 20 students with the successful completion of their fieldwork hours, and some students returned to serve in the Jumpstart program as full-time members for the following academic year.

Sarah also served as a former AmeriCorps member and team leader at Jumpstart with St. John’s University from 2013 to 2015. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2015 from St. John’s and since then has continued to commit to community engagement work. Sarah served as a volunteer for two years at DeSales Service Works in Camden, NJ, and one year in Peace Corps Armenia to gain the insight and technical skills needed to begin her career in the family and child welfare sector in New York City. Sarah also worked with teenagers and young adults ages 16 to 24 from New York City family homeless shelters at the non-profit CAMBA and foster care agencies before she began working at Pace University in 2021. Sarah concluded the 2023 year by obtaining her Master’s of Social Work from Adelphi University. During her time at Adelphi, she also served as a United Nations Youth Representative to Adelphi University, which was an opportunity that further her desire to work with young adults to create community-building initiatives. Her goal is to obtain her first license in social work so that she can continue to provide evidence-based and high-quality programming for Pace students through the Jumpstart program.

Jasmine Cintrón Soto

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Jasmine Cintrón Soto ’24 is a combined Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies major in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences on the New York City campus. During her freshman year, she was recognized as a member of the Pace Votes team through the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR). Through this role, she was able to spearhead voter registration and voter education initiatives across campus through UNV 101 presentations and various on-campus events throughout the school year. As student project coordinator the following year, Jasmine helped facilitate civic engagement connections between students and over 80 off-campus organizations across New York City, including SAGE and NY Common Pantry.

She most notably helped develop and maintain connections with community partners such as Bronx Defenders to lead advocacy efforts. With the support of Bronx Defenders, Jasmine and the CCAR student team advocated for the passing of the Dignity Not Detention Bill in New York, which calls to end immigrant detention within the state of New York. Cross-collaborative work with Bronx Defenders took the form of university-wide panel discussions, letter campaigns, and direct outreach to NY State Senator Brian Kavanagh’s team. In June 2023, Kavanagh co-sponsored the bill, bringing us one step closer to its passing.

Most recently, and as one of Pace University’s Andrew Goodman Ambassadors, Jasmine assisted over 500 students to register to vote through bi-partisan political engagement programming, service events, tablings, and UNV 101 presentations. Not stopping there, this year, she played a pivotal role in establishing an on-campus polling site for the fall 2024 US presidential primary, ensuring accessible voting opportunities for her peers. Jasmine has been a part of the CCAR team for three years now, fostering community building on and off campus, and she looks forward to continuing in her senior year.

Outside of campus borders, Jasmine has taken a keen interest in nuclear disarmament advocacy. In the fall 2023 semester, Jasmine was selected for the Youth for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Y4TPNW). Through Y4TPNW, Jasmine was able to work alongside over 100 youth leaders from across the globe at the United Nations Nuclear Ban Week. Here, she rallied alongside 50 civil society organizations and youth delegates advocating for a nuclear-free world while fostering cross-cultural connections with passionate student advocates.

Nicolette Falvo

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Nicolette Falvo ’25 is pursuing a combined Bachelor of Science in Adolescent Education Social Studies and Master of Science in Education in Literacy in the School of Education on the New York City campus. Throughout her time at Pace, she has served as Kappa Delta Sorority’s vice president of inclusion, director of member education, chair of the accountability and support board, and chair of the diversity, equity, and inclusion board. Through Kappa Delta, she works with Prevent Child Abuse America, Girl Scouts of America, and the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC), the first child protection agency in the world. In addition, she serves as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) and as the vice president of Order of Omega National Greek Honor Society, where she has helped to orchestrate public service opportunities on Pace’s campus and the New York City region. Through the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR), she has volunteered her time at the Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA) and the Williamsburg Bridge Magnet School (PS 196K), working alongside educators and social workers to ensure child safety and learning. Growing up on Long Island, Nicolette attended the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) Awareness Walk annually and has volunteered her time through her church, schools, and local dance studios. Nicolette currently is a full-time student beginning graduate school and works full-time as a student teacher at Half Hollow Hills Central School District and part-time as a substitute teacher at Wantagh Union Free School District. She hopes to continue to advance her career in public service and education post-graduation.

Jennifer Miranda Holmes, PhD

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Jennifer Miranda Holmes, PhD is executive director of Sands College of Performing Arts. Professor Holmes is co-founder and director of Global Empowerment Theatre, an international non-profit theater organization dedicated to empowering underserved young people by providing a stage from which young voices, silenced by poverty and inequality, can be heard by peers, teachers, families, communities, and the rest of the world. For the past 17 years, GET has served artists, students, and educators with performances and workshops in India, Kenya, Myanmar, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the US. Professor Holmes built successful relationships with arts, educational, and governmental organizations, including Parikrma Foundation, Shining Hope for Communities, Akanksha Foundation, the New York Department of Education, the Ministry of Education in Zanzibar, and the Zanzibar International Film Festival, among others. A commitment to social justice and theater is evidenced in her creative endeavors. In 2019, Professor Holmes directed the US premiere of Last Train to Tomorrow, composed and conducted by Carl Davis, at Alice Tully Hall to commemorate the Kindertransport, and Shining Lights in the Lingering Night at The Great Hall, Cooper Union, in partnership with 400 Years of Inequality.

In addition, Professor Holmes has created and taught courses at Pace that reflect a commitment to social justice. Foundations of the Artist, conceived by Professor Holmes, is the first course to include mixed cohorts from all eight performing arts undergraduate programs and is one of the first Pace courses to receive the anti-racist education (ARE) designation. The course ensures that all students in Sands programs receive education in consent culture, storytelling for social good, community building, and healthy collaboration towards a more just performing arts industry. Professor Holmes has taught the course in the first two years of its inception, fall 2022 and fall 2023. She also designed International Teaching Artist Training: Devising Theatre for Social Change in Zanzibar, which she hopes will run in spring 2025. In this immersive course, which provides an introductory training in GET’s devising techniques in Zanzibar, Tanzania, students use theater-based techniques as tools for social change in international communities. Professor Holmes also teaches Theatre and Social Justice at Pace, a course for students passionate about social justice and interested in how theater intersects with socio-political issues to raise awareness and fight injustice. Students study theater and performance associated with various social movements to learn more about theater’s participation in social change.

S. Brian Jones, MA

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S. Brian Jones, MA, has his Master of Arts in Applied Theatre and is the assistant dean of diversity and equity in the arts for Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and the program director for the Bachelor of Arts in Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media. With a longstanding commitment and passion for community service, he was a member of the Social Concerns, Minority Awareness, and Council of Christian and Jews committees in high school. During all four years of his high school career, he fed the unhoused every Sunday.

Assistant Dean Jones continued his commitment to service in college, receiving the Dr. Rose E. Butler Browne award for his work with the Southside Boys Club, given to a graduating college senior at Rhode Island College who has completed at least one hundred hours of voluntary or paid service during the preceding year in a non-profit agency or social justice activity.

After graduating college, Assistant Dean Jones began his career in professional theater with a focus on service-oriented programs which elevated disadvantaged groups and dismantled false narratives surrounding these communities. He was instrumental in starting the Playwriting in Prison program at Ferris School for Boys and New Castle County Detention Center for youth. The program received Bravo’s Excellence in Arts Education award. In addition, he was recognized in the press for his work with chronically ill children and teens at Christiana Hospital and worked with the Delaware Institute for Arts in Education, conducting credential training workshops for teachers on the importance of arts education in the classroom and how to apply it to standardized curriculum.

He was the teacher in residence at “The Place,” a high school for unhoused, runaway, and transitional teens, and also worked for Playwrights Project of San Diego, where he was in residency at University City High School’s Avid program, and King Elementary School’s RADAR program, which is a program for recognizing and dramatizing alternative registers for non-English speaking students.

While working as the director of community outreach and enrichment for ensemble arts theater in San Diego, Assistant Dean Jones was invited to speak before San Diego City Council on the importance of arts education in the classroom and was on the California Arts Organization Committee for the development of critical hours programs for California.

Since beginning at Pace University in 2021, he has continued his commitment to service, participating in the annual LEAP ARTS NYC National Read, presenting at the CUNY School of Professional Studies Racial Justice Weekend, and serving as an adjudicator for the Connecticut Drama Association for high school students for the past two years. In addition, Assistant Dean Jones was invited by the National Humanities Alliance to present the Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media program at both the National Humanities Alliance’s Day of Advocacy in Washington, DC in March 2023, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities in January 2024. He holds a bachelor’s in public relations, and a master’s in applied theater from CUNY.

Ka'ramuu Kush, MFA

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Ka'ramuu Kush, MFA, is a clinical associate professor in the Sands College of Performing Arts on the New York City campus. Inspired to create a pipeline for marginalized k-12 youth in his hometown, Professor Kush foundedFILM SKOOLIE, a Detroit-based non-profit organization operating a mobile filmmaker lab in underserved neighborhoods throughout Detroit, and taught by emerging filmmakers-in-residence. He conceived the organization in the spirit of historic mobile-based programs such as Swimmobile and Bookmobile that serviced the metro Detroit area in the 1970-80s. FILM SKOOLIE in Detroit is the pilot program with plans to scale nationwide, providing cinematic arts training to underserved youth in every major city throughout the country.

As the interim head of the Bachelor of Arts in Acting in Film, TV, Voiceovers, and Commercials (FTVC), Professor Kush has transformed the FTVC program into a sought-after destination for actors and multi-hyphenated media artists, emphasizing a balance between career pursuits and holistic well-being.

Beyond his role as a professor, he actively contributes to various committees within the university, including the ARE, DEI, Hip Hop 50@Pace, and Sands College Dean Search committees. His involvement in every aspect of university and administration showcases his commitment to the practice of conscious community building. Notably, he is a Lincoln Center Director’s Lab Fellow, a recipient of the National Organization of Black Directors Emerging Director award, and a voting member of the Oscar Awards granting Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Mikayla Meachem

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Mikayla Meachem ’24 is a Dyson College of Arts and Sciences student on the New York City campus, double majoring in Peace and Justice Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies and minoring in Criminal Justice and Nonprofit Studies. She applies her commitment to human rights and sexual and reproductive justice in all walks of life, including her role at SisterLove, Inc., the oldest women-centered HIV and sexual and reproductive justice advocacy organization in Atlanta and the Southeast US. With this knowledge, she has spoken on a reproductive justice panel at the University, alongside her mentors from the Peace and Justice and Women’s and Gender Studies departments, discussing Black feminist leadership, reproductive justice, restrictive abortion bans, and their impact on marginalized communities. She assisted the Center for Community Action and Research in creating an inclusive reading list and ways to support the reproductive justice movement.

As the recipient of the Provost's 2022–2023 Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research award, she presented at Pace’s Undergraduate Study Day and later at the 2023 Peace and Justice Association Conference at Iowa State University. Her love for research and knowledge sharing led her to immerse herself in the reproductive justice community and share it with the University in writing for The Pace Press. In her current role as the student research director of reproductive and sexual health promotion, she creates training modules for her peers to be trained in sexual/reproductive health and education. She has supported her peers, having led a workshop advising Peace and Justice Studies majors on connecting their course work, advocacy, and passions with internships and careers, and has designed a resume and LinkedIn toolkit specifically for the Peace and Justice Studies majors. In addition, she has volunteered with numerous reproductive justice and doula organizations and hopes to continue promoting justice for the full spectrum of reproductive experiences.

Delaney Munyan

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Delaney Munyan ’24 is a Global Studies major with a concentration in Political Science and a minor in Peace and Justice Studies in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences on the Pleasantville campus. There, she works as the student coordinator of the on-campus food pantry, the “Pace Market,” where she helps fight hunger among hundreds of Pace students, faculty, and staff each semester. In this position, she not only ensures that the Pace community has a clean space stocked with nutritious food, but she also helps manage volunteers, gives presentations on structural injustice, and uses social media to destigmatize food pantry use. Her commitment to eradicating hunger extends beyond campus borders. Prior to her position at the food pantry, Delaney worked as a volunteer with Feeding Westchester in their Elmsford warehouse, and before Covid, volunteered alongside her family each Thanksgiving to pack holiday meals for the homeless and homebound. When she is not running the food pantry, going to class, or working her on-campus job with the Center for Professional Studies, Delaney volunteers at the local animal shelter, Paws Crossed Animal Rescue, where she helps socialize rescued cats. During her time at Pace, Delaney has worked closely with several nonprofits in Albany, including the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) and the Capital Region Pride Center. For USCRI, Delaney organized a sewing machine drive for newly arrived Afghan refugees, resettled immigrant families into their new homes, and collected donations of all kinds to aid in the resettlement process. At the Pride Center, she was a co-facilitator of their weekly women’s social/support group and secured local donors for the center’s annual school supplies drive.

Delaney is a recognized leader on campus. In her senior year alone, she has been awarded Student Leader of the Month by her peers, was selected for the Setters Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, and was recently honored with the Social Change Maker award at this year’s Blue and Gold Awards. Though Delaney has devoted much of her time to extracurricular activities, she has always prioritized her education. Delaney has maintained a 3.94 GPA, was recently acknowledged by her department with an Academic Excellence award in Global Studies, and will receive a Summa Cum Laude designation at this year’s commencement ceremony. Her years at Pace have been filled with opportunities to better her community, something she hopes to continue doing once her time here is over. Following her graduation in May, Delaney will be pursuing her master’s in social welfare at SUNY - the University at Albany back home in Upstate New York.

Louisa Moquete Bautista

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Louisa Moquete Bautista ’24, a Mathematics major in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences on the Pleasantville campus, is a first-generation college student whose academic and volunteer endeavors demonstrate a profound commitment to both data science and community service. Louisa’s technical expertise in data science is complemented by her deep understanding of the societal implications of data.

During her time at Pace, she has significantly contributed to several pivotal projects, including Blue CoLab, a team-based research and training program in real-time water monitoring technologies and data interpretation for the development of public information and alert systems regarding water quality. Through Blue CoLab, she has been able to join a network of students across the world with the United Nations Millennium Fellowship. Alongside five other students, they formed Right-to-Know H2O, which is based on the principle that the human right to clean water requires a corresponding human right-to-know if water is clean. Fulfillment of this right is technologically feasible and will inform and protect hundreds of millions threatened annually with waterborne illnesses. Her leadership extends to her role as head of the education committee at the National Dominican Women’s Caucus, where she has launched tech education programs aimed at empowering high school students in New York to be exposed to tech. Beyond her technical endeavors, Louisa has pursued independent research in humanities and social sciences during the summer, aiming to enhance her understanding of the human narratives behind statistical data. This interdisciplinary research underscores her ability to interpret data within its broader social context, ensuring her contributions to data science are both innovative and socially informed.

Her commitment to service extends through her former leadership in Pace’s Student of Caribbean Awareness (SOCA) club as well as her recent induction into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., underscoring her lifelong dedication to service to all mankind. Looking ahead, Louisa is excited to continue her education in Pace University’s data science graduate program, where she will continue her work in data science with a focus on projects that not only innovate technologically, but also contribute meaningfully to social justice and sustainable development.

Hayley Piazza

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Hayley Piazza ’25 is a Health Science major with a concentration in health policy and advocacy in the College of Health Professions with a minor in Biology from the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences on the New York City campus. Since 2021, Hayley has been a strong advocate for student voting rights and health equity and her ability to unite her passions has led to her making a profound impact both within Pace and our larger community. Through the Pace Votes Leadership program, her work as an Andrew Goodman Foundation Ambassador and a member of the CCAR student staff, she has transformed outreach strategies and institutional practices for supporting student voters, in addition to overseeing the on-the-ground work of registering over 430 Pace students to vote. Hayley also willingly takes on leadership roles outside of her job requirements. She is active in the national student voting space, having presented at the National Civic Leadership Training Summit, spoken on the Andrew Goodman Foundation’s podcast, and participated in a dialogue for national partners of Vote Early Day. Within all of this work, Hayley’s most profound commitment has been mobilizing and advocating for STEM voters. Under Hayley’s guidance, Pace has increased the number of courses for STEM majors in which voting presentations are given and hosted co-curricular programming connecting voting to issues of importance such as mental health and reproductive justice.

Sydney Reyes

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Sydney Reyes ’24 is a Criminal Justice major in the Dyson School of Arts and Sciences on the Pleasantville campus. Sydney has tackled her academics and extracurricular activities with a sincere desire to improve the world and a great sense of gratitude throughout her academic career. Sydney understands that her education is a privilege and that she must give back to her community, even despite her impressive academic achievements. It keeps her grounded and humble. She is committed to comprehending and resolving societal inequalities, and her pursuit of a criminal justice degree is more than just an intellectual endeavor. Sydney approaches her studies with humility, realizing that life experiences and a variety of viewpoints are just as important sources of actual knowledge as textbooks, as demonstrated by her courses and interactions with professors and peers. Sydney's involvement in a study abroad program in Sydney, Australia, has improved her educational experience, as she has gained a broader perspective and a deeper knowledge of global concerns and the connectivity of communities globally because of her immersion in a new culture. Sydney has been humbled by this experience and has realized how crucial empathy and cultural understanding are to her fight for justice and equality.

Sydney has also been actively involved in student government in addition to her academic endeavors. She has served in two consecutive years as a member of the Student Government Association (SGA) E-Board. Acting as a peer representative, Sydney has proven to be a model leader who is unwavering in her commitment to speaking up for the interests and concerns of the student body. Sydney is motivated by a genuine desire to help others and change the world by participating in extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. She has helped with initiatives such as the Salvation Army Angel Tree, White Sox Volunteer opportunities, and park clean-ups. Sydney's dedication to social justice and community service is based on her desire to significantly improve the lives of people. Her sincere desire to bring about positive change and uplift those who are disenfranchised or underprivileged drives her participation in events such as Social Justice Week and her volunteer work in her hometown of Chicago. In the future, Sydney hopes to serve her community and advance justice and equality for all by working for the Chicago Police Department.