Alessandra Maggioni Honored with Vice President’s Award for Service

The University of Miami’s Butler Center for Service and Leadership recently honored Alessandra Maggioni, a student in the 4+1 Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Public Health Program (M.P.H.), with the Vice President’s Award for Service. Maggioni was one of three recipients of the award.

“I am so grateful and honored to have received the Vice President’s Award for Service,” said Maggioni, who has taken graduate courses in the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences as she wraps her senior year at the University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Each year, the Butler Center honors students, faculty, and staff with awards to recognize their outstanding contributions in the areas of service and leadership. This year, the celebration unfolded with a digital day of acknowledgment and recognition on the Butler Center’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, which provided for a new form of public recognition for nominees and winners.

As a teenager, she underwent major spinal surgery and lost her dream of becoming a professional tennis player. It was personal experiences like these that served as her driving force when making a difference in the community.

Maggioni has since founded Give to Heal, an organization that helps orphaned and foster care children find their passion. The organization also distributes care packages to provide practical items of need and items that reinforce emotional support for children. She also serves as a lead volunteer with Second Spoon—a student-athlete-run non-profit organization that recycles nutritious surplus foods before distributing them to those in need out of food trucks—as well as in Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where she is a spinal deformity mentor and patient advocate.

In collaboration with the department’s Public Health Student Association, Maggioni planned and executed a service opportunity for her peers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which consisted of fundraising and distributing kits to the homeless community.

“The art of giving back is ultimately what healed me mentally and spiritually,” added Maggioni. “I love to serve, and I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that I encounter to help others. I am a big believer that when you help someone else, in actuality, the person you are helping the most is yourself. Never underestimate the power of giving back—even a simple smile and hello—has the power to change a person’s day.”

Written by Amanda Torres

Published on April 29, 2021