Fresno State student honored for dedication to community service

Whitney Ferdinandsen is the recipient of the 2015 John D. Welty Award for Excellence in Community Service.

The award, which includes a $2,500 scholarship, is given each year to a student who exemplifies a commitment to service that Welty, the former Fresno State president, championed during his 22 years at the campus. Ferdinandsen will be recognized at the Spirit of Service Recognition reception on April 27, 2016 in the University Student Union.

Ferdinandsen has provided more than 600 hours of community service over the past year as a founder of Camp Kesem Fresno State. The week-long summer camp run by Fresno State students is a camp for children whose parents have recently undergone or are in the midst of being treated for cancer.

In January, Ferdinandsen also helped organize and lead a group of Fresno State students and faculty for a two-week international service project in Naboutini, Fiji, where they worked on building storm drainage systems and helped finish construction of a community center.

A 2012 graduate of Clovis West, Ferdinandsen is majoring in liberal studies and hopes to become a teacher. As a 4.0 student, Ferdinandsen works two jobs, one in the Smittcamp Family Honors College office and another for the Clovis West marching band. She is a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors Program and plans to graduate in May 2016.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Fresno State student honored for dedication to community service."