Barry Service Corps Fellows Isaly Ortiz and Dai’ Jonnai Smith have received the 2021 Community Impact Award for exemplary civic engagement—including service, research, and advocacy—that had a considerable impact on the community.
Dr. Scott Smith, vice president for mission and student engagement, said Ortiz has been “a highly engaged student leader, lending her voice to salient social justice issues—from immigration reform to voter access.” He described “DJ” Smith as a “reservoir of creative ideas, with an inquisitive, scholarly mindset, and a clear commitment to social justice causes.”
The occasion was the university’s eighth annual Community Engagement Awards hosted by the Center for Community Service Initiatives on April 7. VP Smith made a virtual presentation of plaques to both student leaders.
A Barry Service Corps Fellow and co-chair of the Campus Democracy Project, Ortiz has served in elected and appointed positions with the Florida College Democrats and the College Democrats of America. “Her voter advocacy efforts in the state have made her a respected and recognized voice for the cause,” VP Smith said.
In early 2020, Ortiz was one of six Florida students selected for a panel in Tallahassee with former Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, Stacey Abrams. The panelists discussed Gen Z issues and voter suppression. And, in the summer of 2020, she was invited onto the national stage as one of only five students selected nationwide to speak on a panel with Dr. Jill Biden. The panelsits discussed LatinX issues and immigration reform efforts.
“This student leader’s advocacy has been amply demonstrasted as she organized her peers and stood up for farmworker rights, traveling as far as New York to do so,” Dr. Smith said as he presented the award virtually. “She has been vocal about the need for fair and just immigation reform, and for underserved populations to have their rights as voters upheld.”
In commending “DJ” Smith, the mission and student engagement VP pointed out that she has passionately led her peers in thoughtful reflection and activism, “raising the level of consciousness surrounding social justice issues.” In addition, “she has shown a high level of commitment to understanding such issues, which has informed her engagement in action-oriented coalition-building activities.”
Dr. Smith also mentioned her advocacy in support of voter rights and policy changes regarding healthcare access for incarcerated women, as well as her leadership and participation in civic engagement projects locally and abroad.
Barry University President Dr. Mike Allen and Campus Compact President Dr. Andrew Seligsohn congratulated all winners of community engagement awards.
Community Engagement Awards 2021
AWARD WINNERS
Community Engagement Support
- Barry Premier Events Team—Conference and Event Services, Information Technology, Marketing
Community Impact
- Isaly Ortiz
- Dai’ Jonnai Smith
Community Partnership
- Bread for the World
Community Engagement Educator
- Dr. Jalane Meloun
Service-Learning Faculty
- Sister Mary Frances Fleischaker
Community Engagement (Engaged Department)
- Andreas School of Business