2025 JEP Community Service Awards

The Dornsife Award for Exceptional Service was established in 2014 to recognize extraordinary volunteers who contribute their “time, talents and treasure” in support of JEP’s programs and initiatives.

This year’s winner is Brenda Pesante, who – for now 50 years – has devoted herself tirelessly to the JEP family. She’s JEP’s most veteran staff member, (and has worked under all four JEP Executive Directors!), starting work with the organization as a secretary in 1975. As our current Director of Community Partnerships, Pesante helps to place hundreds of students each semester in various locations in the Los Angeles community. From schools to service organizations, she makes sure that our community outreach is seamless and impactful. During her time with JEP, she has won multiple awards for her service, including the Staff Assembly Award in 2020. Her nomination for this was accompanied by 31 individual letters of recommendation from colleagues, students, supervisors, community partners, and alumni.

To celebrate Brenda and all that she has contributed to JEP over 50 years – particularly to supporting the development of our student staff – we are establishing the Brenda Pesante JEP Training and Retreat Fund. If you want to support this fund, please click here. All gifts will go directly toward funding our annual training and retreat for student leaders and staff.

The Extraordinary Community Service Award was established in 1981 by Grace Ford Salvatori to recognize one graduating senior or progressive Master degree student for their significant service to the communities surrounding both the UPC and HSC campuses.

This year’s winner, Yvette Casteñada, embodies the spirit of community service through her tireless dedication to vulnerable populations in Los Angeles. As president of LULAC at USC, she’s organized citizenship clinics helping dozens of individuals navigate pathways to citizenship, while her work with Dignity & Power Now has provided crucial expungement assistance to formerly incarcerated individuals seeking second chances. Her leadership extends to education equity through the Children’s Defense Fund, where she advocated for safer schools in LBUSD, and as a ReadersPLUS Coordinator at Norwood Street Elementary, where she’s personally tutored numerous students and lead a team of tutors supporting dozens more.

As a first-generation college student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Yvette’s service is deeply personal – transforming systemic challenges into opportunities for meaningful change through both grassroots advocacy and policy work. Her commitment to justice, education equity, and empowering marginalized communities exemplifies the highest ideals of the Extraordinary Community Service Award.

The JEP Award for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research was established in 2019 to recognize USC faculty who meaningfully integrate community engagement into their teaching and/or research.

This year’s recipients of the JEP Award for Community-Engaged Teaching, Kate Levin and Nicholas De Dominic, exemplify the essence of community-engaged teaching through their groundbreaking work with the Dornsife Prison Education Project (PEP), which they co-founded and co-direct. Since 2017, they have created transformative educational bridges between USC and incarcerated writers, securing over $500,000 from private donors to sustain this vital initiative. Their multifaceted approach includes the creation of Writing 320: Inside-Out Writing Workshop, which brings together USC undergraduates and incarcerated students; the establishment of a Reader’s Circle that has engaged over 700 USC volunteers; the organization of expungement clinics in partnership with USC Gould School of Law; and a thought-provoking speaker series on carceral issues. Through these initiatives, Professors Levin and De Dominic have not only provided platforms for systems-impacted individuals to share their stories but have fundamentally woven social justice into the fabric of USC’s educational mission, inspiring countless students to pursue careers dedicated to equity and justice.

USC has a strong tradition of undergraduate student engagement, with thousands of students devoting time, energy and passion to supporting community organizations while applying emerging knowledge and skills. Named in honor of Richard “Dick” Cone, the Dick Cone Award for Graduate Engaged Scholarship is intended to honor and elevate the efforts of graduate students who can bring advanced awareness and skills to address specific community concerns.

Dick was the beloved director of the USC Joint Educational Project from 1980-2002 and a “pioneer” in the field of service-learning and community engagement. Driven by a deep commitment to social justice and education, Dick effectively pushed universities to reconsider the role they play in their communities and he was instrumental in bringing national recognition to USC’s K12 partnerships.

Maiya Hotchkiss, this year’s winner, embodies the essence of engaged scholarship that the Dick Cone Award celebrates, through their transformative work addressing critical health, safety, and survival disparities within LGBTQ populations. As a dedicated scholar-activist, Maiya has developed sustainable, community-centered research projects focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, consistently ensuring that those most affected by these issues remain central to developing solutions. What distinguishes Maiya’s approach is their unwavering commitment to authentic partnership—co-authoring publications with community members, training community leaders, and creating programs designed to persist beyond Maiya’s direct involvement. Maiya’s philosophy that “engagement must extend beyond research contexts and be rooted in a genuine desire to bolster community wellbeing through responsiveness to real-time gaps and unmet needs” reflects the very spirit of Dick Cone’s vision for universities’ meaningful engagement with their communities, making Maiya an exemplary recipient who honors his legacy of social justice and community-driven change.

The Barbara Seaver Gardner Award was established in 2008 by then Vice President of Civic and Community Relations, Samuel Mark, who wanted to honor JEP’s founder and first director, Barbara Seaver Gardner. This award recognizes one graduating senior, who through successful participation in JEP (over several semesters) has demonstrated steadfast commitment to community service, with an emphasis on the community surrounding the University Park Campus.

This year’s winner, Jade Almodovar, exemplifies the spirit of the Barbara Seaver Gardner Award through her extraordinary dedication to JEP and the University Park Campus community. Over three years, Jade has served in virtually every JEP program, rising from ReadersPLUS tutor to Site Coordinator to Math Director, while mentoring fellow student leaders and transforming Norwood Elementary’s after-school program. Her service-learning contributions, teaching hands-on human anatomy to elementary students, her direct patient care as a COPE Health Scholar, and her willingness to step in during staffing shortages demonstrate her exceptional commitment to educational enrichment and community support. Described by supervisors as bringing “exceptional professionalism, passion, and poise” to each position, Jade’s impact extends beyond direct service to building lasting program capacity and inspiring others through her leadership.

The Desiree Benson Award is a very special award that was established through the generosity of our USC Financial Aid Office in the year 2000.  The award honors the life, work and spirit of a dedicated and inspired work-study student, Desiree Benson. Desiree was a business major; grew up in LA (Compton and Inglewood) — and was a beloved member of the USC ReadersPlus program who passed away unexpectedly in the middle of her senior year. The Desiree Benson Work-Study Grant was created that spring of 2000 to pay tribute to the contributions to our community and dedication to service demonstrated by this promising young woman, and to recognize students similar to her: work-study students committed to making a difference and eager to use their skills and talents to inspire others.

Tracy Wang embodies the dedicated and inspired spirit of the Desiree Benson Award through her remarkable commitment to serving both young learners and elderly community members around USC. As a STEM instructor with JEP’s Young Scientist Program, Tracy teaches hands-on science to second-grade students in underserved schools, adapting her lessons for English language learners and students with disabilities to ensure everyone participates fully. Her dedication extends to elder advocacy through her Hope and Help Organization, where she raises awareness about elder abuse, and her work with USC’s Emeriti Center, where she bridges generational divides through “Trojan Table” gatherings. With over 2,500 hours of service across multiple organizations, Tracy demonstrates exceptional versatility and compassion—whether mentoring Spring Admit students, organizing cultural celebrations as the Cultural Chair for the Student Gerontology Association, or ensuring seniors in care facilities remain connected through the Dialogue Society. Her commitment to inclusivity and making meaningful connections reflects Desiree’s legacy of dedicated service to the USC community.

Philanthropists Henry and Grace Salvatori were life-long friends and trustees of the university. They gave generously to USC and have two buildings on our campus named after them. Henry used to say, “Freedom is not free and we all must take responsibility for our society.”  So, in 1992, in memory of Grace, Henry established the Grace Ford Salvatori Community Service Scholarships. These were created to encourage students in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences to continue their dedication to service. Each year, the recipients of these scholarships are recognized for their community service as well as their academic excellence and demonstrated student leadership.

This year’s winner, Anneliese Duong, exemplifies the spirit of the Grace Ford Salvatori Community Service Scholarship through her exceptional dedication to health equity and community engagement. As a volunteer with the Multiracial Angle-Closure Progression Study, she has devoted over 37 hours to recruiting and screening patients for glaucoma at USC’s Health Sciences Campus, where she excels at translating complex medical information into accessible language for patients from marginalized backgrounds. Her compassionate approach has directly increased patient participation, with one session seeing doubled engagement in just two hours. This commitment to service extends back to her high school leadership, where as president of Fountain Valley KIWIN’S, she coordinated numerous community events with local elementary schools, contributing over 290 hours of service. Described by her recommenders as being “in the top 5% of undergraduates” they’ve worked with, Anneliese creates positive and collaborative environments wherever she serves, demonstrating the exceptional character, academic excellence, and service leadership that this scholarship celebrates.

The Faith in Him Community Service Scholarship recognizes outstanding USC Dornsife students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to community service, leadership excellence, and academic achievement. This one-time scholarship supports students who have made significant positive impacts in their communities and show promise as compassionate, purpose-driven leaders. The scholarship celebrates those who embody the foundation’s values of integrity and service.

Mia Moore embodies the mission of the Faith in Him Community Service Scholarship through her extraordinary commitment to education, health equity, and community support. As a STEM educator and 5th grade coordinator with USC’s Joint Educational Project Young Scientists Program, Mia teaches weekly hands-on science lessons to 90 students at 32nd Street School in South LA, while also co-developing interactive after-school workshops through the Wonderkids Program. Her service extends to healthcare settings, where she volunteers at Los Angeles General Medical Center’s Urgent Care department supporting patients in this vital safety-net hospital. Mia’s leadership as a governing board member for the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund advocates for first-generation and low-income students, while her quick response during the Pasadena LA wildfires—distributing essential supplies to those affected—demonstrates her readiness to serve in times of crisis. Described by her recommender as possessing “sincerity, focus, and consistency in all her endeavors,” Mia’s passion for sharing science with the next generation while enhancing diversity within the field exemplifies the scholarship’s values of compassion, purpose, and positive community impact.