A group of George Mason University Honors College students won the Alumni Choice Award on December 5 for their work with So What Else?, a nonprofit food bank.
The students were part of the signature Honors College Connects class, which brings together multidisciplinary groups of students to work toward solving a challenge for local nonprofits. So What Else? tasked the group with improving volunteer retention, expanding presence into Northern Virginia, and boosting social media presence and outreach.
Collaboration with So What Else? impacted the group personally. University Scholar Ian Candy commented, “Food insecurity is so politicized. It’s really important to help those who are helping others to make sure many people can get the resources necessary.”
Not only did it impact the students’ personal lives, but they also developed professional skills they can apply beyond this semester. “We learned a lot of leadership and communication when it comes to working with people outside of George Mason, and also with each other; we learned how to present ourselves professionally,” Amber Bartlett said.
“Our group learned as a whole how important it is to tackle every part of the problem, making sure we are getting resources from every side, and hearing every side of the story,” Candy said.