Award: Silver

Institution: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Title of Entry: Champions Serve Day

About this Entry: More than 200 UTRGV student-athletes took part in Champions Serve Day to give back to the community. My approach to this day was to produce strong visuals that serve to document and highlight our student-athletes with our community members. At the Edinburg Children’s Hospital visit, I worked with the hospital staff and parents of the children so we could focus on those who were comfortable being photographed. I observed some timid introductions from both the children and student athletes. Soon, greetings led to questions and laughter which eased the mood. I noticed this interaction happening where crayons were rolling off the table and a student would repeatedly help pick them up off the floor. I captured the moment as the student returned the crayon and joked with the child. Small moments filled with emotion often lead to strong images. From this day I put together a photo gallery along with other service projects and shared then through social media. Our student athletes continued the community service initiative and were ranked 20th in the country in total community service hours among NCAA Division I programs for the 2019-2020 academic year.