Human Services Student Award Winners

Congratulations to Ms. Ashley Francis for receiving the Department of Social Work and Human Services Student Fall 2021 Student of the Year Award. Ashley maintains an institutional and cumulative GPA of 3.77 as a Human Services major with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration and Social Innovation. She is also completing her credentialing as a Certified Nonprofit Practitioner through our partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance in our Nonprofit Management Certificate program.

Throughout her time in the Human Services program, Ashley has shown a strong commitment to social justice, diversity, and advocacy. In HS3400: Community Intervention, Ashely lead her collaborative research project on the positive impacts of nonprofits within the local community.

During Fall 2021, Ashley is interning with Make-A-Wish Georgia in partial fulfillment of our program’s Advanced Internship requirements. Her capstone project finds herself writing about the importance of youth workers in a nonprofit setting. The deliverable includes developing a job profile for a position development for Make-A-Wish – that Ashley will be stepping into upon graduation. Additionally, she is a recipient of Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Career Development Award which provides a stipend for her internship experience. In addition to her coursework, she is the President of the KSU Nonprofit

Leadership Alliance Student Association and her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta. She also continues to volunteer in the community and work with Communities in Schools.

Congratulations, Ashley!

Elisabeth Alonso is nominated for the Fall 2021 Outstanding Student of the Year for the Social Engagement and Advocacy Concentration. She has an institutional GPA of 4.0 and in addition to her major, she is earning the CAST certificate. She served as an intern with the North Georgia Autism Center and conducted an applied research project for her senior capstone entitled Implementing Streamlined Early Autism Intervention in Neurotypical Schools.

Elisabeth currently served as the president of the Human Services Club where she continues to demonstrate her commitment to the field of Human Services, as well as to the local community. In her role as president, she organized multiple service projects each semester and increased the membership of the club significantly, including both HS majors and non-majors. Her passion for this field is evident in the work she has invested in the club, expanding its size and reach.

Congratulations, Elisabeth!