Vote for AFH U Student-Athlete and Team of the Year!
We are proud to announce this year’s AFH University Student-Athlete & Team of the Year nominees. Each year we are blown away by our student-athletes dedication and commitment to serving their communities as they leave a positive impact wherever they go.
Learn more about this year’s nominees below and make sure to cast your vote today!
Voting closes on June 16, 2023.
AFH U Student-Athlete of the Year Nominees
Cast your vote here!
Alejandro Gomez, Emory Soccer
Alejandro is a respected member of the Emory University Men’s Soccer team. After the team arrived for a field day at the Harland Boys and Girls Club, Alejandro immediately took the role of leader and made sure all of his teammates arrived on time and were where they needed to be. He showed true leadership and commitment to the children at the club and made a difference in how the day went.
Vote for Alejandro here!
Ellie Shank, LSU Beach Volleyball
Ellie is not only a champion on the court but in the Baton Rouge community. This is her second year serving as AFH LSU’s intern. She also serves as the community service chair for LSU SAAC and plays an instrumental role in service event planning such as Halloween Boozar. Ellie has made lasting impacts on local non-profits as she coordinates LSU teams’ community service at The Miracle League, St. Vincent de Paul, OLOL Children’s Hospital, and more.
Vote for Ellie here!
Helen Feldmeth, Georgetown Women’s Rowing
Helen has been consistently involved with service on and off campus. She single-handedly started a letter-writing campaign for elderly people across the country, collecting over 170 letters written by student-athletes on Georgetown’s campus. Not only has she been a leader in service she is also still in training with the women’s rowing program. Her attitude and determination towards AFH U and service in her community have not gone unnoticed!
Vote for Helen here!
Londyn Lau, Southern Softball
Londyn Lau has been an active community service leader alongside her team Southern Softball for the last 4 years. She has been involved in several initiatives such as our 9/11 Emergency Preparedness events, MLK Day of Service, Miracle League, OLOL hospital visits, and Progress Elementary school visits. In honor of Thanksgiving, this year we served at a series of events happening in Baton Rouge. Londyn helped with set up for the Council on Aging’s Thanksgiving Luncheon. While her team traveled home for the holiday, she insisted on serving alone and assisted with meal prep for St.Vincent De Paul’s annual holiday dinner.
Vote for Londyn here!
Jerry Burkett II, Southern Baseball
Jerry Burkett II is a leader on the campus of Southern University and a leader in service for his team. Jerry has participated in all service events with his team while also capturing content. Last November, he assisted with meal prep for St.Vincent de Paul’s annual Thanksgiving dinner. He also serves on this year’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for Southern. When asked why he serves, Jerry responded, “Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces made us appreciate the opportunity that we had as kids, and being able to take advantage of that [opportunity] to put us in the position to be influential to others is a blessing.”
Vote for Jerry here!
Doria Martingayle, LSU Track & Field
This year, Doria went above and beyond at Our Lady of the Lakes Children’s Hospital. She made visits to encourage patients and bring a little normalcy through games in the activity room.
Vote for Doria here!
Joshua Griffin, Southern Football
Joshua Griffin is a sports philanthropy certificate program participant that hit the ground running with service. In our first session, he was engaged and excited to share his passion for youth and the community. In one month, he was able to read books to classes for Read Across America Day and volunteer for the Special Olympics State Bowling Tournament.
Vote for Joshua here!
Zion Walters, Clark Atlanta Basketball
Zion went to the Harland Boys and Girls Club twice a week from April through the end of the school year in May. Every Monday she put on a dance clinic for the group and every Wednesday she put on a basketball clinic for the kids. She has been incredibly proactive about finding volunteer opportunities in the Atlanta community and is incredibly passionate about spreading her love of basketball and dance to the children at the club.
Vote for Zion here!
AFH U Team of the Year Nominees
Cast your vote here!
Southern University Softball
Southern Softball kicked off the fall semester service in Baton Rouge at full speed! They made multiple visits to a local elementary school and volunteered as buddies at Miracle League’s first game of the season. Throughout the school year, they continued to volunteer at Miracle League events and never waivered in their commitment to community service.
Besides the Miracle League, Southern Softball has also been involved with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Animal Alliance Animal Shelter, and Progressive Elementary.
Vote for Southern Softball here!
Bowie St. Women’s Cross Country
Bowie St. Women’s Cross Country continuously showed out to service events throughout the year. They were always willing to be a helping hand on campus and within the community. The impact they have made on campus has not gone unnoticed and they are so excited to continue to give back.
Vote for Bowie St. Women’s Cross Country here!
Bowie St. Women’s Basketball
Bowie St. Women’s Basketball was integral to the Bowie St. campus food drive in the month of November. This team stood out having collected the most canned goods out of any other team on campus with an astonishing 50 pounds of nonperishable food items.
The Women’s Basketball team also supported the Martin Luther King Jr. essay competition by honoring and acknowledging all of the participants from the local elementary school at their senior night game, in which they were victorious. They have shown tremendous leadership within the community and are excited to continue to make a difference.
Vote for Bowie St. Women’s Basketball here!
Georgetown Track & Field
The Georgetown Track and Field Team sat down for a letter-writing activity and wrote 65 letters to be delivered to senior citizens in need of love from the community. The team also maintained a gear collection box in their locker room throughout the year, mainly donating shoes and other gently used items.
Vote for Georgetown Tack & Field here!
Howard Women’s Lacrosse
The Women’s Lacrosse Team went above and beyond during the annual MLK Day of Service in January. They participated in So What Else’s Meal and Clothing Distribution, mobilizing around the city to hand out sandwiches to anyone in need of a meal.
Vote for Howard Women’s Lacrosse here!
Southern Bowling
Southern University Women’s Bowling team hosted senior citizens from the Charles R. Kelly Community Center in February. The SWAC champs shared their tricks and explained how bowling is a great way to stay physically active. They made a huge difference in the lives of the individuals at the Community Center and their willingness to give back and promote community and physical activity has really made a difference.
Vote for Southern Bowling here!
LSU Volleyball
LSU Volleyball has loved getting involved in the community this year! When they were able to take the time out of their busy schedules and serve, they always left feeling appreciative and humbled.
Going into this new school year of 2023-2024, one of their athletes will serve on the SAAC executive team representative for community outreach programs which will engage the team in the community even more which they are really excited about! They are looking forward to increasing their hours spent in the community in the next school year individually and as a team!
Vote for LSU Volleyball here!
Davidson Football
This year the Davidson football program has been involved in several community outreach activities and events that included their Lift for Life Event with Uplifting Athletes which is an organization that raises money for rare diseases, adopt a classroom at Bylthe Elementary, and service hours at the Ada Jenkins Center. Additionally, they had two players spend spring break in Charleston, SC with the Bonnor Program on campus, working with local farmers and ten players spent spring break in England with Campus Outreach, working with local college football teams.
Vote for Davidson Football here!
