Paige O’Connor is the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement's Student Volunteer of the Month of November.

O'Connor is from Tulsa, Okla., and is studying child development.

O'Connor is involved with the Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Upsilon Omicron and is currently volunteering with the Washington Regional hospitals health care team as well as Children’s Therapy T.E.A.M. O'Connor became involved in these activities as she enjoys having a greater appreciation for humanity and for the lives that she is able to reach. Volunteering helped her to step outside of her comfort zone and see a different part of herself.

O'Connor’s most memorable volunteering experience is when she volunteered at a local elementary school tutoring young children in kindergarten and she shared a great laughter with them..

Her favorite quote is from Phil Robinson: “It’s not where you end up, it’s the path you take to get there."

The Volunteer of the Month Award seeks to recognize students at the University of Arkansas who are impacting the northwest Arkansas community through service.

The criteria for nominated students are:

• Good academic and disciplinary standing with the University of Arkansas
• Display a strong ideal of servant leadership and a consistent commitment of service to others

The Center for Leadership and Community Engagement invites the campus community to nominate students who fit the qualifications. Applications are available at here and must be received by 5 pm on the 20th of each month in order to be considered. The Volunteer of the Month will be announced on the last Friday of each month.  The winner will receive a certificate and be featured on the volunteer.uark.edu website. Additionally, each month’s winner will automatically be nominated for the Volunteer Spirit Awards and the State of Arkansas volunteer awards. The first Volunteer of the Month will be selected for October 2010.