From mental health awareness campaigns and STEM education to food access initiatives and projects supporting foster youth, students across Utah spent the 2025–26 academic year creating meaningful change through the UServeUtah College Community Engagement Council (CCEC).
The CCEC brings together students from higher education institutions across the state to strengthen community engagement both on and off campus. Throughout the academic year, council members identify local needs, develop leadership skills and design service projects connected to Community Engagement Pathways that align with their interests and strengths.
This year, the council engaged 1,167 volunteers across Utah, with 63% of volunteers age 25 or younger. Together, volunteers and council members contributed 3,387 hours of service through projects addressing mental health, education, accessibility, literacy, civic engagement and community connection.
From Cedar City to Logan and from Price to West Salt Lake, students led projects that created both immediate and long-term impact in their communities.
Learn about the Cohort’s Projects
At Southern Utah University, Amy Adams organized “Nobody Walks Alone,” a suicide prevention and mental health awareness 5K that brought together 102 participants and volunteers while generating 241 volunteer hours. Fellow Southern Utah University student Audra Wilson assembled 72 sensory and fine motor kits for rural school occupational therapists supporting children with sensory processing needs, helping provide resources for therapists serving caseloads of 70 to 90 students each.
At Brigham Young University, Maylin Carter combined wellness and recreation through a “Mental Health x Skateboarding” workshop that drew approximately 100 participants and collected 364 student surveys to support efforts for a future accredited skateboarding wellness course.
Students at Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley University focused heavily on fostering belonging and connection. Teanna Christensen mobilized 40 volunteers to create 60 personalized letters for seniors experiencing isolation while also launching a campus chapter of Love For Our Elders with 25 student members already signed up. At Utah Valley University, Evelin Lagos coordinated the assembly of 75 community care bags for local families, Abass Sesay helped organize an inclusive prom event for adults with disabilities, and McKay Jones led the development of digital literacy curriculum materials for Project Read to support adults building workforce and technology skills.
At Weber State University, Gloria Taylor developed an interactive greenhouse audio tour that engaged 42 volunteers and encouraged students to use campus green spaces as a tool for stress reduction and learning. Meanwhile, at Utah State University Eastern, BriLee Snow organized birthday celebration kits for foster youth in Carbon and Uintah counties, mobilizing 68 volunteers and generating 332 volunteer hours to help ensure children in foster care felt recognized and celebrated.
Students at Utah State University focused on strengthening both student wellbeing and civic engagement. Carlos Diaz’s “Berry Beginnings” initiative reached approximately 200 first-year students through peer connection events centered on mental health awareness and campus support resources, generating 632 volunteer hours. Shailynn Spangler worked to rebuild youth civic engagement opportunities in Logan by developing a proposal to reinstate a city-supported youth council while also facilitating leadership workshops with youth councils across Utah.
Students also expanded educational access and strengthened long-term community systems. At the University of Utah, Ethan Hood developed STEM activity kits for elementary-aged students through Dream Academy, while Jade Annette Ventura coordinated a redesigned STEAM Night that served 161 children and 100 families through partnerships with engineers, scientists and community organizations.
University of Utah student Zhiting Xu also recruited and organized 14 consistent volunteers who contributed 248 service hours supporting food pantry and clothing closet operations at the Population Health Center in West Salt Lake.
At Snow College, Fernando Munoz led “SnowServes,” a weeklong initiative that engaged 84 volunteers through projects supporting mental health, local nonprofits and community aid efforts. The initiative also helped launch the Utah Intercollegiate Service Network, the state’s first student-led intercollegiate civic engagement network.
Together, the 2025–26 CCEC cohort demonstrated how student leadership and service can create measurable impact across Utah communities. Through thousands of volunteer hours, collaborative partnerships and innovative projects, students helped strengthen connections, increase access to resources and build a stronger culture of civic engagement statewide.
