Florida’s Shining Students
Below are students that are more than just your run-of-the-mill campus scholars. These students have gone above and beyond and because of this we’re proud to call them “Florida’s Finest.” These students have started exciting and innovative programs on their campus and their communities, received notable or unique honors, or pursued a dream they had to see something change. These are the students who have helped to change our campuses and make them some of the best in the nation.

Each year, we can only honor 20 amazing students as the “Florida College Student of the Year,” but what about other students that have done extraordinary things? We know there are many more out there. So who are your achievers? Who are your innovators? If you think you’ve got what it takes to be “Florida’s Finest,” or know someone who does, contact Florida Leader Editor Stephanie Reck.

A Spark to Kindle Light in Others
Palm The miracle of servitude inspires and motivates others

by Grace Henry

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the Jewish miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. While most people think of the menorah only around Hanukkah time, Karen Poritz of Hillsborough Community College's Honors Institute sees it as a metaphor in her daily life.

Most people know about the eight candles on the menorah that are lit during Hanukkah, but most people don't know too much about the ninth candle, the "shamash". The word shamash means servant in Hebrew, and thus this candle is called the servant light because it lights all the other candles. Throughout her endeavors in the community, Poritz has striven to be this "servant light," one that kindles a spark in others to serve as well.

With all of the responsibilities that come with a raising a family, Poritz is not the traditional student. Yet, she has been very active in several organizations, such as the Honors Institute, Aręte, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Student Government Association. Poritz has a goal to teach students to overcome their own barriers and appreciate their lives through making a difference in the life of someone less fortunate.

"Part of my reward has been observing the growth of so many of the students," Poritz says. "I know that many of them will continue to be an asset to society now that they understand the feeling of pride and accomplishment that develops only through this type of service."

Poritz feels she has accomplished the most through her leadership as president of Aręte, a student organization associated with the Honors Institute. Poritz wanted to increase participants in Aręte and bring its community service to a higher standard. She felt this would not only have a directly positive effect on the lives and futures of her fellow students, but it would greatly improve the lives of others within the community.

When she began leading the organization, Aręte was at its lowest point. Some of the organization's leaders had just graduated. There were also some personal conflicts between some of the remaining members and there was little money left in the treasury. So, Poritz began rebuilding the organization. Since she has become involved in Aręte, she says that the organization's community service program has increased by 400 percent. Some of the programs they have completed have benefited the Ronald McDonald House, the Shriner's Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as well as senior citizens and migrant families in the area.

Poritz also set out to formulate a system that would measure the organization’s effectiveness and growth. She designed a system that would track the effectiveness of their communication and marketing systems. She also started a committee to oversee a new database that would track each student's community service hours.

During her fall semester in 2002, Poritz spent a weekend serving as a guide at the Vietnam Wall Experience. When she was a little girl, her older brother served in Vietnam, and this was her way of saying "thank you" to him and to every other person who has served for this country. She saw the wall as a symbol of reconciliation, which she hoped to help others find as well.

"I realized during my first visit to the wall that it held a healing ability regardless of which position you held during the conflict," Poritz says. "It was above division and about reconciliation, which I hoped to assist others in finding. Over the course of this weekend, I witnessed a melding of both sides, which creates hope for the future that humanity can learn to reconcile its differences."

In the spring of 2002, she worked with four other students to design and implement a project that donated books to the Shriner's Children's Hospital.       A year later, she participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life with Phi Theta Kappa, an international honors society. The event became the focal point for the organization, she says. "It was inspiring to meet the survivors and gratifying to work toward the hope of cure," Poritz says.

In the fall of 2003, Poritz became involved with Meals on Wheels. Every Tuesday morning, she spent time at the Senior Center, packaging and delivering more than 200 meals to elderly people who couldn't leave their homes.

Poritz says she strives to help her fellow students become inspired to help others in the same way she is. "I have lit many candles and those candles will, in turn, light others, creating a societal impact that is far greater than what I could accomplish alone," Poritz says. "I also hope I have accomplished something that has taken on a life of its own and will continue to spread long after my days are over."

Contact Poritz at docsdanes@aol.com

Love That Lives
Palm Beach Atlantic student helps youth group come alive with love
by Grace Henry

A group of rowdy middle school kids wasn't Nicole Greenwald's idea of a fun night. She saw them as annoying and immature. So, when, as a freshman, her friend dragged her to Primetime, the middle school youth group at Palm Beach Community Church, the chaos that ensued during her night with the adolescents didn’t exactly make her eager to return. She was exhausted and convinced that all of her prejudices about middle school kids were proven to be true.

Something about that night, however, stayed in her mind. Instead of forgetting the experience, Greenwald began to think about ways the program could be improved. “Daydreams led to hours of contemplation and pages of ideas,” she says.

In the meantime, she continued to serve at Primetime. As Greenwald developed relationships with the children, she says she fell in love with the kids and couldn’t imagine missing a week. “As I adjusted to my role as a supporting leader within the ministry, my desire to see the ministry become more effective increased and became a heavy burden on my heart,” Greenwald says.

By the end of her sophomore year, Greenwald says that as a result of suggesting some of her ideas to Daniel Kiedis, the youth director, "Primetime had successfully shifted from a night of controlled chaos to a time of physical, emotional, and spiritual growth."

One of the most effective changes was organizing the students into small, consistent groups, she says. This allowed them to grow in their relationships with one another as well as with their leaders, creating an environment that challenged the students to think deeply, ask questions, and pursue truth.

By the summer of 2003, Greenwald was hired as an intern and placed in charge of the middle school ministry. Soon after, she was hired as the middle school youth minister.

That fall, a new program called Crave was born, which allows eighth-grade students to meet together weekly in small groups. Through this program, Greenwald has "sought to present challenging ideas to the students with the hope of inspiring them to live life adventurously and to grow to their fullest potential."

In an effort to encourage the students to take ownership in their ministry, Greenwald established various teams designed to allow students to implement their individual gifts and talents to benefit the entire group. The Office Space Team, the Creative Arts Team, the Drama Team, and the Clean Up Crew are just some of the groups she created. Greenwald even helped four of the more musically inclined students start a band called "Silver Lunchbox."

“The energy that these student leadership teams have created at Crave has drawn the students together and continually increases the effectiveness of the overall ministry,” Greenwald says. “As I strive to empower and equip the students, I’m amazed by the results.”

Greenwald helped one student, Trevor, overcome his struggles with feeling unloved, not standing up for himself, and feeling embarrassed about having a secret love for playing the trumpet in the school band.

"Loving Trevor and watching him overcome the obstacles in his life taught me that love conquers all, and giving yourself to others is the most important thing you can do," Greenwald said.

Greenwald has been working with a group of sixth-grade girls since her first week at Primetime. They take time each week to support one another as they pursue stronger spiritual relationships. Greenwald makes it a point to be a part of their daily lives—whether it‘s through concerts, rides after school, sporting events, or going out for dinner and a movie.

"People need hugs," Greenwald said. "They need someone to hold their hand and tell them that they aren't alone. They need someone to tell them that they’re beautiful. They need people to tell them that no one else in the world can replace the special role that they have in life."

Contact Greenwald at greenwnm@pba.edu.

Copyright © 2006 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved