ESU Announces University Leadership and Service Award Winners

Graduating seniors Hannah Frankenfield and Jevon Mitchell have spent their years at East Stroudsburg University with a desire to lead and serve others.

Frankenfield, a special education and early childhood education major from Bangor, Pa., was awarded the University Service Award for the 2022-23 academic year. Mitchell, a Spanish major from Philadelphia, Pa., was awarded the University Leadership Award.

The University Leadership and Service Awards are the highest non-academic honor a graduating senior can receive for their work as a leader in cocurricular activities on campus or participation in initiatives and service opportunities off campus. To be eligible, applicants must have held office or demonstrated participation in a minimum of three clubs, activities, and committees, have a grade point average of 2.6, and be in good standing.

Both award recipients were immersed in student life during their time on campus.

Frankenfield was a student athlete on the track and field team. She was on the team’s leadership council, worked youth camps and clinics, and gave campus tours on behalf of the team. Frankenfield was the vice president of Best Buddies, the historian for Sigma Pi Epsilon Delta, and a member of the council of exceptional children. Frankenfield spends her days student teaching in a high school autistic support and life skills classroom. After school she returns to campus for track practice where she is a pole vaulter, followed by either additional workouts or best buddies events. During the summers she worked at The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties where she was inspired to learn sign language to better communicate with individuals with whom she worked.

“Being a part of honor societies, clubs and extracurriculars gives me a sense of community and partnership, as well as teaching me the importance of commitment, consistency, reliability, and positivity,” Frankenfield said. “My goal was to go to college, continue my love for track and field, find my spot in the education world, and become a better version of myself. I achieved and exceeded my dream.”

Mitchell has always had a passion for leading and serving others. He always volunteered for opportunities in his high school and was a youth coordinator at his church. When he came to ESU he got involved on campus as a way to be of service to his peers. He served as DEI chair of the Student Government Association, public relations chair and treasure of the Black Student Union, and was a member of Latin American Association, Pentecostal Student Association, African Student Association, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee and campus climate subcommittee. He was a volunteer for the office of health and wellness, a peer mentor, and an orientation leader. Mitchell was named an honorary at ESU’s first ever First-Generation Honor Society, Tri Alpha.

“Becoming a leader on campus allowed me to not only serve my peers, but advocate for them as well,” Mitchell said. He used his knowledge as a Spanish major to connect with his mentees in a meaningful way. Mitchell’s ability to help students integrate into the campus community both academically and socially helped students overcome freshman jitters and homesickness. He has presented at conferences and workshops about peer mentoring and to the university’s Council of Trustees about the impact the Peer Mentor program had on him and how it can positively impact the lives of so many students.

ESU awarded 955 undergraduate degrees during two commencement exercises on May 6.

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