Sonia Fajardo, a 2009 nursing graduate from Miami Dade Colleges (MDC) Medical Center Campus, has another reason to celebrate her scholarly accomplishments. From an outstanding pool of statewide nominees, she was recently named a recipient of the Florida Campus Compacts Excellence in Service Award for the community/state college sector.
A highly competitive process, Florida Campus Compact evaluates the academic and community/public service efforts of college students throughout the state of Florida. To meet an academic requirement of 23 service-learning hours, Fajardo used an idea to help needy residents near the neighborhood coffee shop she visited regularly, and a chance conversation with a friendly customer to begin planning and organizing a health fair.
Community service is a required component of all of the colleges degree programs. Students must complete a minimum of 23 hours before graduation.
Fajardo said targeting the working class neighborhoods within North Beach where the health fair was held last November had more to do with the heart and wasnt a random opportunity to score community service points.
“North Beach residents consist mainly of Hispanic children and families of low economic status, who do not have insurance and are limited in their resources and access to affordable health care,” said Fajardo. “I felt like it was my duty to help in some way because thats what Id been trained to do.”
The nursing graduate believed it was not only her responsibility to fulfill the requirements for her degree but to also help individuals gain the knowledge, motivation and resources needed to make informed decisions about their own health care.
Sonia Fajardo, a 2009 nursing graduate from Miami Dade Colleges (MDC) Medical Center Campus, has another reason to celebrate her scholarly accomplishments. From an outstanding pool of statewide nominees, she was recently named a recipient of the Florida Campus Compacts Excellence in Service Award for the community/state college sector. 
