Two students and one staff member at Sul Ross State University in Alpine have been presented with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for 2024.
PVSA is the nation’s premier volunteer award program, encouraging U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents to live a life of service through presidential recognition. Recipients complete various hours of “unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others.”
The award offers three levels of annual recognition and a lifetime award. Each level has a designated number of hours required appropriate to the age of the individual volunteer.
SRSU became a certifying organization to verify service hours and award the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in Fall 2022.
This year’s awardees include:
Caitlyn Peña, Gold Recipient (322 hours)
Cailyn Pena, an undergraduate student from El Paso, will graduate from SRSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in May. She has volunteered a total of 390 hours in the last year.
Peña is active on campus in volleyball and tennis, serves as Vice President of the Pre-Law Association and Student Athletic Advisory Committee, as the Public Relations Officer of the Student Government Association, and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Academic Integrity Council and Alpha Chi Honor Society.
Despite her busy schedule, she has still found time to volunteer at her favorite animal shelter, serve as an unpaid intern with Congressman Tony Gonzales, as an ambassador for the city of El Paso as Sun Bowl Princess, and has completed a variety of other projects for community clean-up, coaching local youth and volunteering with kids at the Museum of the Big Bend.
“Volunteering matters to me because it allows me to make an impact in my community, connect with diverse groups of people, and contribute my skills and time toward causes that I care about. Through volunteering, I feel a sense of fulfillment and purpose, knowing that I am creating positive change in the world around me,” said Peña.
Shelby Green, Gold Recipient (270 hours)
Shelby Green will graduate in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Range and Wildlife Management. She has volunteered 270 hours in the last year.
Green is active on campus and serves as the Vice President of the Student Government Association and Treasurer for the Range and Wildlife Club.
Outside of school, she volunteers her time as a volunteer firefighter for Rossville and Alpine, completing annual trainings, responding to local emergencies like car accidents, fires,and medical calls, and supporting the general maintenance and operations of the organization, along with outreach efforts.
“I am honored to be part of all the volunteer organizations and programs I took part in over the last year. Fire Service volunteerism has become a huge part of my life and shaped me into who I am today. To have a passion that provides help to others is an amazing experience for me,” said Green.
Manuel Martinez, Gold Recipient (290 hours)
Manuel Martinez is a 2022 graduate and Tech Support Specialist for the Office of Information Technology at SRSU.
As a student, he received the PVSA Gold medal in December 2022. As a staff member, Martinez has continued his work in the Alpine community. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, currently serving as one of the youngest Grand Knights within the international organization. In addition, he volunteers as a head coach for Big Bend Little League and Big Bend Youth Soccer Association, and coaches cheer, dance and tumbling at Epic Energy Studio.
“The volunteering that I do matters to me because I have big dreams of peace in the world. A world culminated by kind service to each other, no matter our physical and spiritual differences. Being able to give is not optional for me, but rather it is necessity and fundamental to making a positive impact,” said Martinez.
More information can be found at presidentialserviceawards.gov or by emailing katy.williams@sulross.edu.
Photos: Caitlyn Peña, Shelby Green, Manuel Martinez