The 8th annual Spartan Volunteer Service Awards (SVSA) ceremony was hosted on January 23, 2026, to recognize 154 students for time dedicated to their communities from December 9, 2024 through December 7, 2025. This is the second-largest group of volunteers that the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) has given this award, cosponsored by the Office of the President. 

“Service is a legacy at Michigan State University,” said President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., at the ceremony. “It reflects discipline and genuine commitment to others, values that we hold dear.” During his remarks, Guskiewicz also highlighted MSU’s first-place ranking among public universities in service-learning and 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. 

The SVSA honors any MSU student who tracks 100 hours or more of community engagement activities within a given year-long timeframe using CCEL’s SpartansVolunteer platform. This year’s 154 awardees collectively tracked 28,376 hours, creating the equivalent of $932,729 of financial impact in communities served. 

“All it takes is intent, time, and heart,” said CCEL student intern and two-time awardee Karthick Prem Satheesh Kumar during his remarks at the ceremony. Satheesh Kumar also serves as president of the registered student organization Alternative Spartan Breaks and student volunteer cohort leader at McLaren Greater Lansing. “Service has shown me the strength of communities and the power that we have to love each other.” 

“What service means to me is the opportunity to see the faces that exist in our community,” said CCEL AmeriCorps VISTA member Murriah Warren during her remarks. Warren previously received the SVSA for her engagement in Lansing schools as an America Reads/America Counts tutor. “Some of you have been on this campus with each other anywhere from one to four years, and this is probably your first time being in the same room. I truly see this as a big honor to talk to all of you today and hear about all the hard work that you’ve done.” 

Trinity Amalraj, an awardee majoring in biology who volunteered over 1,000 hours with University of Michigan Health – Sparrow and the MSU Center for Survivors, was the featured student speaker. Like Warren, she emphasized the significance of connecting with fellow volunteers and community members as part of her engagement journey. 

“Reaching out to my own volunteer community has taught me how our individual power as volunteers really strengthens when we combine forces with our fellow volunteers to facilitate positive changes we want to see in the community,” said Amalraj. “The survivors I serve through volunteering have helped me understand what it means to be a volunteer, in that sometimes being simply present for your community can be enough.” 

Awardees who attended the ceremony were asked to share a few words about what service means to them. Responses included: 

“Every initiative starts somewhere real.” – Marcos Garcia 

“Giving joy means receiving joy.” – Andy Hart 

“Acknowledging, supporting, and learning from community.” – Marlo Lulgjuraj 

“Love made visible through action.” – Benjamin Nketsiah 

“Advocating for those in need.” – Pranavi Pullela 

“Community engagement protects our democracy.” – Taylor Toth 

The Center for Community Engaged Learning is proud of all 2024-2025 SVSA awardees and thanks their families, friends, community partners, professors, and other supporters for attending. Our office looks forward to seeing the continued impact of these students and supporting future Spartan engagement! Volunteers can track their hours from December 8, 2025, through December 13, 2026, for the next Spartan Volunteer Service Awards.