Extraordinary Community Service Award 2020: Sabrina Barrow
Originally Published April 9, 2020
The Extraordinary Community Service Award was established in 1981 by Grace Ford Salvatori to recognize one graduating senior or progressive Master degree student for his or her significant service to the communities surrounding both the UPC and HSC campuses.
Sabrina Barrow is this year’s winner. She’s receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and a Master’s Degree in Global Medicine. She chose these studies because she wants to be a healthcare professional to not only help patients return to their optimal health, but to also be in a position to advocate for policy change and be a role model for minority students also interested in a career in science or math. Sabrina has spent her USC career participating in philanthropic, non-profit programs, like JEP, and has been able to learn and serve the Los Angeles Community.
In her application for this award she listed some of her community service beginning with experiences focused on educational equity — she has spent several semesters with Readers Plus as both a tutor and program coordinator, as well as a lead teacher for the Wonderkids STEM curriculum introduced during after school hours. Sabrina has also volunteered with World Med and Shower of Hope, which is a mobile shower unit for the residentially challenged, as well as at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles providing a single mother of two toddlers with the connection to free mental health care.
All the opportunities she was involved with allowed her to grow as a student and leader. She said “these programs have had such a positive impact on my time at USC, and I want to use my knowledge and experience to motivate other individuals to give back to their communities. As a leader, I’ve learned empathy when dealing with others, how to train and provide support to a team as well as how to manage my time effectively.”
Watch Sabrina’s acceptance speech for the award here: