Although she is only a sophomore at Green Mountain College (GMC), Ellen Sanders has already made a number of important impacts on the campus community. In the past two years, Ellen has successfully co-launched, developed, and organized a number of important initiatives at the College including serving as a critical role in the design and development of a campus wide student safety initiative, helping with a grant application to secure funds for the Stone Valley Arts center (a local Vermont fine and performance arts space), and providing support to the organization of the Making a Difference and Making a Living conference, an annual forum organized every spring by the GMC Office of Career and Personal Development.

A good example of Ellen's active community and campus engagement is her involvement with Thanks and Giving Day, a GMC annual tradition held before the Thanksgiving holiday period in which students and community members come together to say "thank you" over a diverse array of activities and events, including serving free community meals to over 220 people.