Skip To Main Content

Mobile Header

Six Upper School Students Receive President's Volunteer Service Award

Six Providence Day School Upper School students received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) in November of 2021. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action. Congratulations to Mary Linda Dascal ‘24, Jasleen Kaur ‘22, Sophie Mao ‘24, Morgan Nelson ‘23, Shravan Selvavel ‘24, and Katherine Wahr ‘23.

The PVSA recognizes individuals and groups who achieve a certain number of service hours within a 12-month period from August 1 – July 31. In the teen category for service completed before age 16, a bronze award is for 50-74 hours of service, silver for 75-99, and gold for 100+ hours. In the young adult category for students ages 16+, a bronze award is for 100-174 hours of service, silver for 175-249, and gold for 250+ hours. To learn more about service awards at Providence Day School, visit the Upper School Community Engagement Portal.

Learn more about this year’s inspiring award winners below.


Mary Linda Dascal – Bronze Award Teen Category (Ages 11-15)

     “I have always been very passionate about helping others, especially children. I started my own charity the summer before 6th grade called Beads for Needs. Beads for Needs is a nonprofit organization that has a mission of children helping children. What made me want to start my own charity and to continue to invest my time in other organizations was the idea that I was so fortunate to have shoes to wear, a bed to sleep in, and shampoo to wash my hair. I realized how many children simply do not have the basic necessities. Also, another organization that I have been very involved in is Freedom School, which helps provide quality education to children. In my opinion, education is an essential need for every child. Overall, seeing children without basic necessities and opportunities inspires me to volunteer and serve my community.

     “A lot of my service is through Providence Day clubs that I run, such as the Interact (Rotary) Club. I am co-president of the Interact Club and I helped coordinate an event called Operation Sandwich, which is where students helped us make sandwiches for the people at Urban Ministries. Also, I got involved with Freedom School because PD partners with them during the summer. PD is constantly doing school supply drives for Freedom School throughout the year as well. On the other hand, my charity Beads for Needs is not affiliated with Providence Day but is greatly supported by the PD faculty and staff. I have coordinated several sales of my jewelry products within the Charlotte community as well as through my Instagram account, where my charity started.  

     “I have always been consistently volunteering and serving my community ever since I was young, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for me. I also liked how I was able to keep track of how much service I had been contributing to the community. As I look back and reflect on the service I have done this past year, this award has made me realize that I contribute my time to a variety of organizations, but most involve volunteering to help better children’s lives. This opportunity has allowed me to showcase what I love most, which is helping others in need.

     “It makes your heart feel so full seeing what you can accomplish working together with different organizations to help people in need within your community. Volunteering is one of my passions that I have delved into at a young age and highly recommend other young people to do the same. There is no wrong way to volunteer; it is just the more hands helping the better. I would definitely recommend students make time in their schedules to volunteer.”

Jasleen Kaur – Gold Award Young Adult Category (Ages 16-25)

     “My inspiration to serve those in need stems from my religion, Sikhism. The concept of ‘Vand Chaknaa’ — one of the three pillars of our faith — means to share our earnings with those in need and to give back to the community however we can, acknowledging our own privilege. Volunteerism and community service create equity and help uplift communities which is so central to Sikhism.

     “I began my work in equity and advocacy outside of Providence Day. I grew up seeing my family serve their communities in all sorts of ways, from working as physicians with underserved communities to teaching leadership classes at our local Gurmat School (Sikh Sunday School) to working with national nonprofit organizations to create more inclusive and equitable environments. From a young age, I was involved in various volunteering projects such as community blood drives and our Sikh Youth Group, which organized multiple service projects throughout the year. As I got older, I volunteered in the nursing home and hospital, as well as a long-term treatment facility for women with chemical addictions, and with refugees and underserved students.

     “Once I got to high school, I started better understanding my interests. In my freshman year, I joined the Red Cross service club and Asian Affinity group at Providence Day as well as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council (CMYC) outside of school, in addition to other activities. Throughout my high school career, I have continued to remain involved in these three groups and now hold leadership positions in all three as well.

     “As a student, it’s often difficult to imagine making any effective change, but years of community service have helped me realize that you’re never too young to get involved. While the pandemic did shut down many opportunities, many more doors opened up. For example, I was finally able to volunteer some time with North Carolina Asian Americans Together, an advocacy group located in Durham, NC, virtually to learn from incredible activists. Additionally, our Youth Council got the opportunity to work with many individuals virtually from local county officials working on projects like the Charlotte Future 2040 plan and other equity-based initiatives. This past year also opened opportunities for me to work with national organizers and leaders at the National League of Cities conferences. The reason I applied for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award was to help illustrate the potential students have in creating change simply through volunteering and local advocacy and how they can gain valuable experience while giving back.      

     “Volunteering and community service have shaped me into the person I am today in broadening my understanding of the world. For any students looking into getting involved in advocacy and community service work, I recommend just putting yourself out there and seeing where it takes you. When I first joined the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council in ninth grade, I didn’t know what would come of it. Four years later, as a President of the Youth Council, I can successfully say that this experience significantly contributed to my growth as a leader and collaborator. If you are unsure where to start, I highly recommend connecting with other students who are involved in community work and finding causes and issues you are passionate about advancing. If we all make time to give back to the community, even in little ways, we can continue making this world a more equitable and just place for everyone.

Sophie Mao – Gold Award Teen Category (Ages 11-15)

     “By volunteering at a nonprofit, I believe I am advocating for something both the organization and I believe in. When I hope something can be changed or improved, most times I can be a part of that change through volunteering.     

     “I have always been interested in computer science at Providence Day, so when I got the opportunity to tutor underprivileged children in other countries, I chose to teach them computer science. I thought the Presidential Volunteer Service Award was a great way to reach a high goal for service hours. It gave me more incentive to serve my community and commit more time to others.

     “When choosing a service opportunity, make sure it is something that you enjoy doing and want to come back to do every week; otherwise, you might feel volunteering is no fun when it actually can be very enjoyable.

Morgan Nelson – Gold Award Teen Category (Ages 11-15)

     “I am inspired to serve my community because I enjoy seeing other people’s smiles when they are being helped. Making other people happy has always been a goal of mine, and I find that I can successfully reach that goal through volunteering.   

     “My service does not align with any of my curricular interests at Providence Day. I have had several health challenges in the past, so most of the volunteer work I do is somehow related to healthcare. Also, several months ago my sister rescued a cat from an animal shelter so since then I have been interested in making blankets for animals in a shelter.

     “I decided to apply for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award because as a former recipient of this award, it feels nice to achieve a goal that is service related. For other students interested in serving their community, my advice is to find a cause you are passionate about or one that has personally affected you. If you find service opportunities that you are truly connected to, you are more likely to be committed to it and feel like you made a difference.”

Shravan Selvavel – Gold Award Teen Category (Ages 11-15)

    “I feel very grateful for the resources and opportunities that I have, and I understand that many people in our community do not have those same opportunities. Because of this, I feel very strongly about using service as a means to help others receive these opportunities and knowledge, and I aim to volunteer for numerous organizations, as there are many fields/areas where opportunities can be given, whether that be in housing, bedding, education, food, etc.

     “Some of my service does align with my curricular interests at Providence Day. For example, I volunteer for an education organization that teaches various subjects to students who need them. Through this organization, I mainly teach math to many students. Math/STEM is one of my favorite subjects and curricular interests at Providence Day. I use my passion for math to help other people in this area through the form of volunteering and service.

     “I applied for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award because I wanted to encourage myself and others to participate in service opportunities. By receiving this award, I believe that it will push me to continue to do service, and it provides an incentive for me and shows others that by doing service you can be rewarded.

     “Play to your strengths, and participate in service opportunities that interest you and you enjoy doing. The purpose of service is to enjoy yourself while helping others. If you do not enjoy what you are doing, participating in service does not have a point.”

Katherine Wahr – Bronze Award Young Adult Category (Ages 16-25)

     “What inspires me the most to serve my community is seeing the faces that have been impacted by my hard work. Service is something that I have found to be a great escape for me to focus on others and not just myself, which I feel is something we are all caught up with on a daily basis.

     “My service aligns with and is inspired by some of my passions and interests outside of school such as tennis and being outside in nature. Therefore, the majority of my service hours that I received are from Wing Haven and an organization called Aceing Autism.

      “I decided to apply for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award because service was already something that I enjoyed doing. I also applied because I wanted an end goal that would motivate me to accomplish something bigger in my community.

     “For students who would like to get involved in advocacy work or service in their community, I would advise them to start by addressing their interests and see how they could align with the needs in their community. For example, one could start with a club that they are passionate about and find an organization that you look forward to helping because you want to see it grow. Lastly, I would tell anyone who is thinking about getting more involved in their community to make sure they are already balancing everything in their lives (academics, sports, and extracurriculars) to make sure they can really commit to serve an organization of their interest.”