Susan Slaton
Eastern Florida State College
Susan Slaton is a non-traditional returning student with a physical disability currently working toward the completion of her Bachelor's degree at EFSC as an engaged volunteer addressing numerous community needs. Because of her contribution of over 500 hours of service and a 3.63 cumulative GPA, Ms. Slaton has already been recognized as a prestigious Citizen Scholar graduate for completion of her A.A. degree in 2016. She has served as both Secretary and Treasurer of the EFSC Rotaract club, leading and participating in important service projects to mitigate inequity like educational Hunger Banquets, food packing for local impoverished kids at the Sharing Center, and multiple Habitat for Humanity builds. As a member of the Environmental club, Susan has been involved with water testing in our campus lake, community clean-ups, and an ongoing educational gardening project at Endeavour Elementary. Her service through the Business club included teaching students appropriate attire for interviews and maintaining the free professional clothing closet. Her service work with local nonprofit organizations has also assisted homeless veterans, abandoned animals, and grandparents who are raising their grandchildren due to death or incapacity of their parents.
Personal Statement
I serve with numerous community organizations and EFSC groups, but I am most involved with the Rotaract Club addressing economically disadvantaged youth. This year, we raised over $2,000 to donate to Brevard Children in Need, a nonprofit supporting 1,600 local homeless kids. We also helped raise funds to contribute to Crosswinds Youth Services to offer housing and mental health counseling to at-risk teens, as well as funds for Take Stock in Children, which provides need-based scholarships and mentoring. As a club, we helped build two playgrounds for the Boys and Girls Club and City of Rockledge, and we collected school supplies and distributed them to thousands of disadvantaged students. Additionally, I have joined the club in many food packing and sorting events organized by the Children's Hunger Project and the Central Brevard Sharing Center. These events provide backpacks filled with enough food for the weekend for Brevard County children who qualify for the free/reduced lunch program. These children are usually at risk of going without food for the weekend because of the home situations. Being able to lead the group helped me work towards my goal of helping out in the community and bettering my life with education. I have learned that many hands make a big job small.
