2018 SARAH FAIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
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Leah Frye- Student Recipient
Fitness Supervisor & Fitness Program Assistant, Georgia Southern University "I am a current fitness supervisor and fitness program assistant at Georgia Southern University. Through my time at Georgia Southern I have been blessed with the opportunity to work for Campus Recreation and Intramurals (CRI). During my time at CRI I have been introduced to NIRSA. After my exposure to NIRSA and through the guidance of those mentors my eyes have been opened to the career opportunities within campus recreation. Campus Recreation has been a vital part of my undergraduate career. It has shaped me and molded me into the leader I am today by giving me an opportunity to live up to my potential. Georgia Southern's fitness program has experienced notable turnover over the last two years. During that time, I felt the need to step out of my comfort zone to quickly establish a leadership role because the program is so important to me. During that time, I was promoted from fitness specialist to fitness supervisor and became responsible for managing 5 specialists. Through the second Fitness Program Director transition I served as the Fitness Program Assistant. As the Program assistant I was challenged to prepare meeting agendas, coordinate fitness center cleaning shifts, summer scheduling, mentoring and training new hires on proper use of equipment. I was also fortunate enough to serve on the new Program Director search committee, where I assisted with the interview process in which gained a new perspective on campus recreation. I was reassured that I wanted to pursue a career in campus recreation through that experience. I am confident that the fitness program assistant role, as well as my role as a fitness supervisor provided me with valuable skills to be successful in my future career. I have developed a personal work philosophy during my time working for CRI. Being resourceful- making the most use of the resources readily available to me. Those resources can be items such as a mentor, coworkers, or conferences. I like to use opportunities that will help me grow as a leader and a person as much as often as possible. An example of a time where I made use of resources was attending conference, such as the Southern Women’s Leadership Institute, where I participated in various workshops to expand my knowledge and become a better leader. A workshop that stood out to me valuable was a personality workshop where I learned how to adapt to, manage and relate to various personality types effectively. That session was important to me because I value teamwork, and one of my leadership mottos is “In order to lead your people well, you have to know your people.” I believe key qualities in leadership are teamwork and being relate-able because dependability and respect come with being relate-able and working as a team." |
2020 NIRSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
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Reginald Ungos-Student Recipient
Facilities Management Graduate Assistant, Georgia Southern University-Statesboro Aloha! I currently serve as a Facility Management Graduate Assistant for Campus Recreation and Intramurals (CRI) at Georgia Southern University. In this role, I help supervise and mentor 45 student employees providing exceptional customer care at the Recreation Activity Center (RAC). Working at the RAC as a graduate assistant is very uplifting and rewarding with all the wonderful people whom I call my extended family. I enjoy the dynamic work environment I am in because every day is very different and sometimes presents challenges to work through. Throughout my time in Campus Recreation, I have been fortunate to help organize special events, volunteer for organizations, and present at conferences furthering my professional development. I have found my passion in student affairs which led me to pursue my master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. For me, campus recreation and the individuals in it are my ‘ohana'. To quote one of my favorite movie phrases, “'Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” |
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Manica Pierrette-Professional Recipient
Assistant Director of Facilities & Events, University of West Georgia I am originally from Miami, Florida. I received my Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and my Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, both from the University of Central Florida. I got into the field of Campus Recreation as an undergraduate while working my first on-campus job as a facilities scheduler assistant at the UCF RWC. During this time, I saw the behind the scenes dedication of recreation professionals when it comes to student development, healthy lifestyles and diversity and inclusion. I decided to pursue a graduate degree and was hired as their Graduate Assistant of Facilities. I moved to Carrollton June 2015 after accepting the Coordinator of Events position at University of West Georgia with the University Recreation department. In that role, I managed reservations and events in the Campus Center including the university's ballroom. In June 2019, I advanced to the Assistant Director, Facilities & Events position overseeing day-to-day operations for our 131,000 sq ft facility. |
GRSA RESILIENCY AWARD RECIPIENTS
Tevin Duncan - University of Georgia
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Hailey Hester - Georgia State University
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