Each year the program awards the Susette M. Talarico Public Service Leadership Award to the student who has shown exemplary service to the community and on campus during their time in the program. This year, we had such excellent applicants that we awarded a winner and two honorable mentions! This year’s winner and honorable mentions demonstrate inclusive excellence in addition to public service leadership. The winner of the 2023 Susette M. Talarico Public Service Leadership is Riley Meid. Riley impressed the selection committee with her many commitments to public and community service, including serving as Vice President for the UGA Criminal Justice Society student organization. In her application, Riley highlighted that a proposal she wrote for a nonproliferation summer program for Athens high school students was awarded the Senator Sam Nunn Security Leadership Scholarship. According to Riley, “Fission Forward aimed to eliminate barriers to participation in order to address the inaccessibility and gender imbalance of the nuclear security field. Moreover, I ensured that diversity and equity was infused into nuclear security lessons and policy discussion.” Honorable mentions Autumne Fields and Jade Hensel also demonstrated leadership and commitment to inclusion excellence. Autumne described how volunteering for a program that allowed her to help a lower-income elementary student buy Christmas presents, but also give back to the community by being “a role model that they will aspire to be in the future.” Jade described how being a mentor for at risk juveniles in the foster care system through UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute last summer gave her the chance to “inspire them to believe that they can go to college despite the difficulties they face on a daily basis.” Congratulations to these amazing CJ students!
