Department of Languages

Student Spotlight: L&IH student Courtney Grayson awarded CAAH Dre Martin Service Award

Photo courtesy of Clemson University

Language and International Health major Courtney Grayson was awarded the Dre Martin Service Award by the College of Arts and Humanities as CAAH recognized its top students last month. The Dre Martin Service Award, founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin, is awarded annually to an exemplary CAAH student who, in addition to strong academic distinction, displays a commitment to service in the community and demonstrates a passion for helping others.

Courtney, who is an L&IH major with a minor in animal and veterinary sciences, is a committed and enthusiastic student who has been able to combine her academic excellence with her passion for helping others, using her skills and compassion to make a difference in the greater Clemson community and beyond. As a student of the L&IH program, she has studied the Spanish language while gaining practical knowledge of healthcare and public health. She studied abroad in Argentina, where she had the opportunity to work rotations at a local hospital and apply the Spanish-language skills and health knowledge acquired as a student of the L&IH program to serve the local community in Argentina. Courtney has also been actively involved in the greater Clemson community, volunteering as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at a local free clinic for the past two years.

Within the Clemson community, Courtney has volunteered at Tiger Town Animal Hospital as well as with America Reads, tutoring elementary school students in reading. She has also demonstrated her commitment to service through her support of the Clemson community at large and her engagement with the campus Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA). Dr. Arelis Moore de Peralta says of Courtney’s merits and volunteer work that she has “demonstrated a true commitment to the Clemson community, which she has impacted through her volunteerism and advocacy as an interpreter for low-income Hispanic patients, as an animal healer, as a tutor to increase elementary children’s success, and as a queer community’s advocate.”

Courtney plans to pursue a career in the public health sector serving vulnerable and underserved communities in the United States.

 

About the Dre Martin Service Award

The Dre Martin Service Award was founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin. A graduate of the Language and International Health program, Dre is remembered a dedicated student who was constantly serving others at the university and in the community at large. This award seeks to recognize extraordinary CAAH students that embody this selfless commitment to others. Students may be nominated by a peer, a faculty member or a staff member.