By University Communications

University of Miami sophomore Valerie Quirk has been awarded The Excellence in Service Award by Florida Campus Compact, which recognizes and honors students for outstanding service to Florida’s communities.

“When I first came to college, my goal was to help bring programming to students that would be meaningful and impactful on their lives,” Quirk says. “It means a lot to be personally recognized as I work towards my goals, but at a bigger level, I think it is amazing that Florida Campus Compact is putting a real spotlight on service and leadership in general.”

A Marketing and Visual Journalism major from Springfield, Missouri, Quirk was nominated by Dr. Patricia A. Whitely, UM’s vice president for student affairs.

“Valerie is an exceptional student leader,” Whitely says. “She is a student who clearly exhibits integrity, leadership and a strong sense of community engagement. By visibly making a direct impact on those around her and addressing the needs of the community, Valerie is unquestionably a wonderful individual who will continue to make a difference in whatever endeavor she is afforded.” 

Quirk is actively involved with the William R. Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development on the UM campus. She is playing an instrumental role in planning the Atlantic Coast Conference Student Leadership Symposium, to be hosted by UM in February. Eighty students from ACC schools will come together to explore this year’s theme: The Next Generation of Social Change.

“As a delegate of the Butler Center, Valerie has really tried to make a difference for our students at the University of Miami and within the local, national and global community,” says Andrew Wiemer, director of the Butler Center. 

Recipients of the Excellence in Service award are leaders at their universities and have been carefully evaluated for their personal impact in issue areas. Quirk was among other winners featured at the Florida Campus Compact Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, November 7 at the Boca Raton Campus of Palm Beach State College.

“I always find hearing about how other people are changing the world in their own ways so inspiring and invigorating. As a young leader, I’m thrilled to have a chance to be surrounded by so many wonderful individuals,” says Quirk.