Tatiana Parker received a 2018 Student Service Award at the college’s Student Wellness Retreat, April 5-7, in Albany.

No stranger to adversity – she was born to a 15-year-old mother and, for a time, was a runaway homeless youth – Parker decided to pay back the help she received as a young woman by involving herself in civic groups, especially those aimed at assisting young African American women – and being a prolific volunteer speaker. As her family responsibilities increased, Parker also founded two Facebook communities, the “Sister Scholar Study Circle” and “Social (action) Butterfly, the latter which she describes as a conduit of information on community happenings – upscale events, career and life tips, job opportunities and more.

Parker is pursuing a master’s degree in public and social policy.

 “I provide direct and indirect service to the Syracuse community through membership in various community groups,” she said. “The goal of my community service is to address barriers which prevent individuals from participating in their community and government. Having access to resources, knowledge, networks and opportunities is needed to have the courage, confidence and competency to participate in political and nonpolitical civic activities,” she said.

In 2015, Parker participated in F.O.C.U.S., Central New York’s Citizen’s Academy, and an eight-week interactive course of study on the organization of government and how services are funded and delivered. That’s just one of the leadership programs which Parker has been involved in. Others include Leadership of Greater Syracuse and the Onondaga Citizens League.

Youth is where promise lies, and in 2016, seeing a need in the Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority, Inc., Parker conceptualized a mentoring group for girls ages 7 - 11 to complement the Kopelle program aimed at girls 12 – 18. She has raised scholarship monies the group distributes, and engages in direct service activities such as voter registration and assisting vulnerable populations with toiletries, clothing and food items.

“… Community service is not all about ‘them,’ it’s also about ‘us,’ as it helps us develop professionally and personally,” Parker believes.

Recipients of the Service Award must be a matriculated student at the college and must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA. They must also list up to three organizations with which they have significant service and involvement.