"My biggest challenge... too many ideas and too little time"

Jessica - Class of 2008 Windham, New Hampshire

From savvy editor of the student literary magazine to spirited member of the Gospel Choir, Jessica has been plenty active outside the classroom. But it's her work as a general coordinator of PA’s Community Service program and its hundreds of student volunteers that inspired her the most. "Sometimes it seemed my classes were getting in the way of community service," she admits with a laugh, quickly adding that she loved her classes, too.

Jessica helped organize a picnic on the Andover campus for about 150 children and adults from a community kitchen in nearby Lawrence. "It was a blast!" she says, "I was so impressed at how well two very diverse communities merged over karaoke, dancing, crafts, sports, and, of course, food."

On Non Sibi Day 2007, a seemingly ho-hum warehouse project opened her mind to the many ways one can serve the global community. "I learned a ton about the desperate need for medical supplies in rural clinics around the world—while packing pallets to send to those clinics," she says. "What an amazing day."