On April 19, 2024, George Perez, Walla Walla University senior psychology major, and Liberty Anderson, WWU junior business major, traveled to Seattle to each receive a Student Civic Leadership Award from Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good.
This award recognizes the efforts of individual students from universities across the state of Washington for their commitment to civic leadership in their community. Every year, students are nominated to receive this award, and each university chooses who has been an influential leader on their campus. John McVay, WWU president, proudly chose Perez and Anderson as this year's recipients.
Both Perez and Anderson have dedicated their time at Walla Walla University to being examples of civic leadership. Perez began his journey by joining the university’s Enactus club and has served as club president for the last two years.
Enactus is an international network of young leaders who are committed to using business skills as a catalyst for positive social and environmental impact. The WWU chapter has grown significantly in membership under Perez’ leadership and pitched award-winning business ideas at a variety of competitions.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to lead Enactus to have a bigger impact,” Perez said, crediting his success to opportunities given to him by the university, which allowed his team to gain new experiences and foster their independence.
Anderson has been involved on campus for the last three years working for the Center for Humanitarian Engagement and the Black Student Christian Forum. “WWU has given me so many opportunities to be involved in civic engagement, specifically through CHE,” she said. One of those opportunities: serving on the board of the Blue Mountain Action Council, a local agency committed to helping people who are experiencing poverty.
The students and faculty of WWU have played a key role in both of their journeys. Perez said that his fellow students influenced him to lead out and make a difference. Anderson credits David Lopez, CHE executive director, as pivotal in her success, allowing her to take on many opportunities and modeling what it is like to be a good citizen.
Perez and Anderson are just two examples of students stepping up and practicing civic leadership at WWU. For more about what generosity in service looks like at WWU, visit wallawalla.edu/che.
