Jessica Sandoval, a first year student, has truly inspired me with her ability to make an enormous difference here at Marquette in hardly any time at all! Success and recognition seem to gravitate toward everyone and everything she works with – which is not surprising because the compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm Jessie puts into everything she does is almost always unmatched by her counterparts. However, this acclaim has yet to highlight Jessie herself for her hard work and genuine passion for all she does!

April 3rd, roughly a month before Abbottsford hall council’s biggest event of the year, CaberAIDS, not much planning had been completed. It was here that Jessie, as a floor representative, really made her mark. As others were getting ready to leave for Easter Break, Jessie was helping organize donations from local businesses and helping to solidify student performers to donate their talent at the event. As planning continued throughout the month, Jessie was never shy to take on responsibilities, aid others in completing their tasks, and consistently brought positive energy and excitement to hall council meetings to keep everyone motivated to make the program happen!

On April 18th, Jessie graciously volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies for the night of CaberAIDS – a task that everyone knew she would be perfect for. It was at this hall council meeting that Jessie announced a donation she had solicited for the CaberAIDS event that will now sit as the highest raffle prize and greatest incentive for students to make donations at this service-oriented, campus wide program. As a hall council advisor and Jessie’s Resident Assistant, Meghan McNamara said, “I could not be more proud and thankful of how whole-heartedly and passionately Jessie consistently contributes to hall council and our floor community!” Jessie’s Residence Hall Director, Sarah Olejniczak, also excitedly shares her praise for Jessie and recognizes the “blessing she is on the Abbottsford community.”

As far as recognition goes, Jessie is always the first to express her appreciation for the work of others. As hall council diligently worked to write Council Leadership Awards for all their hard work this semester, Jessie contributed much of her time and creative writing style to make the awards the best they could be! Through her work and the work of the rest of Abbottsford’s hall council, Abbottsford was awarded Council of the Year this past Tuesday, May 3rd. As a very active member of the hall council throughout the year, Jessie certainly contributed greatly to the earning of this impressive honor – even though when asked, she will undoubtedly humbly smile and turn your attention to the work of her peers.

Jessie is a role model through and through. She keeps a flyer from all of the programs she has attended this year on a wall in her room – an impressive display of how involved she is across campus! As an Abbottsford hall Resident Assistant (RA), I have had the remarkable privilege of seeing time-and-time-again how our slogan “Be The Difference” has been lived out by Jessie. She is an inspiration to me, my entire staff, and her peers and is extremely deserving of being First Year student Of The Month for April!

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