When it comes to scholarships, most people focus on the financial benefits they provide to students and their families—and that makes sense. After all, a scholarship can help pay for an education that might otherwise be out of reach. The Simon Family Scholarship, which provides $20,000 per year (renewed annually) for each recipient, certainly checks that box. But this scholarship goes deeper—and what it asks in return from the students who receive it produces benefits of a whole different kind.
Named for the family of alumna Julie Simon Munro ’86, the award has been given each year since 1992 to one or two UVM College of Arts and Sciences students who show not only academic prowess but also a dedicated involvement with community service and leadership in their communities. Promising students are invited to be interviewed by faculty and staff. If chosen, they’re required to perform a minimum of 8 hours per week of service or leadership within the Burlington and/or UVM communities throughout their time at UVM (in addition to maintaining a 3.0 grade average). As a bonus, Simon Scholars are able to choose the kind of service they do based on whatever they’re most passionate about.
“Simon Scholars are chosen from our highest-ranking admitted students who have a proven record of leadership and service,” says Libby Dunbar, who coordinates the program. “We look for individuals who have a passion to give back to their communities and make the world a better place. We want them to bring that spark to UVM and make an impact on campus, in Burlington, and in the world.”
Allow us to introduce you to three of UVM’s current Simon Scholars, all of whom are well on their way to making the kind of impact that will resonate well beyond their time at UVM.
Sidney Le
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Medfield, MA
Major: Economics with a minor in Applied Design
Years as a Simon Scholar: 2
During spring of her freshman year, sophomore Simon Scholar Sidney Le (shown above) was walking through the lobby of the Davis Center when she found herself drawn to a table hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA). She had been doing volunteer work with Amnesty International since high school, but she’d begun to sense a disconnect between UVM students and the school administration and was ready to start making some changes right here on campus. Intrigued by the mission and impact of the SGA, she applied to be a senator.
This past fall, Sidney stepped into her new leadership position and dove right in, working with the Academic Affairs Committee to find a way to mitigate the implicit bias in the evaluations students fill out at the end of each course they take. “Gender and race shouldn’t have an impact on how you view a professor but often they do,” she says. “So, we’re exploring ways to help students become aware of what they’re communicating by the words they choose.” There’s a lot at stake here, as these kinds of reviews can influence faculty retention and recruitment. Sidney, her project partner Liv Bednarik, and their SGA colleagues hope to have a plan in place by the end of the semester and, if it’s successful, hope it may serve as an example for other colleges and universities.
Through SGA, Sidney has also been able to work on other acts of service, like the Week of Kindness and community clean-ups. “At a big university, it can be hard to feel like you fit in,” she says. “By getting involved, I feel like I’m making my impact on the university community.”
Sidney points out that the support she’s received has helped make it possible for her to have that impact. “Having the Simon Scholarship has given me the opportunity to position myself in spaces where I have the privilege to enact change.”
Sierra Sabec
Year: Junior
Hometown: San Anselmo, CA
Majors: Psychology and Anthropology
Years as a Simon Scholar: 3
In high school, junior Simon Scholar Sierra Sabec was active in an anti-racism group that worked to make her school more equitable, and that passion for justice came right along with her to UVM. As the co-chair of the Student Equity Action Committee (housed within the Honors College), she helps promote DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) by creating and hosting “affinity spaces”—think movie get-togethers, trivia nights—for Honors students who identify as BIPOC or LGBTQ+. She also helps organize broader-based events that teach fellow students about mental health and self-care, and works on fundraisers with local organizations. “This past December, we worked with the Burlington Lund Center on a cookie event to benefit a local family,” she says. “With the money we raised, we were able to provide gifts to the family and buy them necessities like food and diapers.”
Sierra believes that fairness and equity should also apply to something as simple as what a person wears. That’s why she’s co-president of the UVM branch of Runway of Dreams, a national organization that promotes the creation of adaptive clothing for people with disabilities through messaging and fundraising. “In high school, I was president of our Body Positive club. I think this issue is really important,” she says. She and her colleagues are so eager to spread the word that they’re hoping to develop an adaptive apparel fashion show with help from—and starring—Burlington community members.
This year, Sierra is putting in her service hours online from Glasgow, Scotland, where she’s spending a semester abroad. (Yes, the scholarship is portable!) But while she might physically be an ocean away, her mind is often on her work and community here in Vermont. “Not only have I gained leadership experience, but I’ve made so many wonderful friends and I’ve been able to home in on things I’m passionate about,” she says. “The reason I’m at UVM is the Simon Scholarship, and everything I’ve gained from being at UVM I can credit to that program.”
Liv Mastandrea
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Attleboro, MA
Major: Psychological Science
Years as a Simon Scholar: 1
When freshman Simon Scholar Liv Mastandrea arrived at UVM last fall, she knew exactly how she wanted to spend her service hours: volunteering for Special Olympics, an organization that holds a treasured place in both her heart and her history. “My brother did Special Olympics every year growing up and my mom is a Special Olympics coach,” she explains. “I’ve been part of it for my whole life.”
During the fall semester, Liv acted as a Special Olympics coach, getting up early every Saturday to spend her morning helping young kids learn core skills to prepare them to play sports. She loved having time to just play with the kids but also felt she was ready for more responsibility—and she got it. When the spring semester began, she became a coordinator, and now works with another coordinator to prepare each week’s activities, communicate with parents, and manage the coaches. “This is the first time I’ve managed a group of people my age and older, so it’s really gotten me out of my comfort zone,” Liv says. Her job, as she sees it, is to help provide a safe place for kids to play together, and to help turn those kids into one big, inclusive team. “People think if they’re in a wheelchair they can’t do sports,” she says. “But the whole point is, you CAN do sports.”
She’s looking to find a way to bring that kind of supportive, empowering spirit to campus, too. UVM used to have an adaptive sports club in which college students, both with and without disabilities, came together to participate in physical activities like track and swimming, but it went dormant when COVID hit. Liv is hoping to either revive it or start it afresh. Either way, she says, “the goal will be to create something like the Special Olympics where you have a unified group of people coming together to do sports and exercise.”
“The Simon Scholarship has definitely motivated me to keep going with what I enjoy and devote even more time to it,” Liv says. “It’s a big commitment to wake up early every Saturday morning to work with the kids, but it’s a such a wonderful experience!”
While Simon Scholarship applications are no longer being accepted for the 2023-24 school year, they will open for the 2024-25 year in November 2023.