Ashley Reynolds, Skidmore College

Ashley Reynolds, a junior at Skidmore College, is a gifted social work student with a particular talent for community-based research and a keen understanding of its power as a mechanism of social change. She has taken service to a broader level, working with both persistence and tact to help organizations do what they do better through integration of evidence-based research-with the Saratoga Center for the Family (child abuse), the Center for Hope (missing children), and Grandma Cares in Thailand (children losing parents to HIV/AIDS). On campus she is the go-to person for help with social science research methodology and a compassionate member of the Christian Fellowship eager to help younger students adapt to college life. She has volunteered locally at Shelters of Saratoga and with Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s all about making change where you can, says Ashley. We have no doubt that Ashley’s impact on societal problems will be significant. Her sophisticated understanding of and skill in conducting and applying evidence-based community research ensure that her commitment to service will have broad ramifications. Her dedication to civic engagement is rock solid. Indeed, as she has told us, “This isn’t work for me. This is part of who I am.”