Julian Humphrey-Davis, Sewanee: The University of the South
Julian’s service stems from his deeply held commitment both to the value of each person he encounters, especially those in poverty, and to help them see themselves as valuable. His interest in pursuing this project through a call to ministry signals to us that he will find creative and impactful ways to do this work in the future. Through various service positions working with children and young adults, he has developed a toolkit of approaches to affirm young children and adults. These tools offer them an experience of a supportive relationship with mentors who value them as persons and foster honest communication in group contexts that maximize the impact of this work. Julian has also found himself to be adept at finding ways to use these skills in what might appear to be unpromising contexts: in schools where youth empowerment programs are novel and where he works with students whose backgrounds diverge dramatically from his own.
-John McCardell, Vice-Chancellor and President
During the three years I have attended Sewanee, I have become heavily involved in and have fallen in love with community service work. I have been blessed to be a part of the Bonner Leaders program at Sewanee, which puts me in positions necessary for me to pursue my passion: child development. Currently I direct one program, “Activ8 Grundy” at Coalmont Elementary School in Coalmont, Tennessee and have started another, “Man Up” at Grundy County High School in Coalmont, Tennessee. These programs allow me to mentor children and young adults while simultaneously rewarding me with knowledge and experiences that I will take with me the whole of my life. The service work that I do is not for accolades or for awards, but is solely in an effort to make a positive impact on the places that have come to mean so much to me. By being with students and faculty at the schools I serve, I have learned so much about life and what it truly means to love your neighbor as yourself. I seek to inspire within those that I work with that they have a purpose, they can have a future, and they are valued and valuable.
-Julian Humphrey-Davis
