It was only two weeks prior to the College of William and Mary’s annual Convocation when Hannah Wolfe ’26 was notified that she was the recipient of the President’s Award for Service to the Community. In what was a ceremony celebrating the formal welcome of new students, Wolfe left the event with one of the College’s highest honors for service.
“I was really shocked,” Wolfe said. “They emailed me about two weeks before Convocation and said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve been chosen for the President’s Award.’ I didn’t even think I would do community service when I came here, let alone be recognized for it.”
The President’s Award for Service to the Community recognizes one student and one faculty member who demonstrate a sustained commitment to service and making an impact on the community. Wolfe submitted a personal essay and received a letter of recommendation from her community partner: Kellie Wasson, programs and volunteer coordinator at The Arc of Greater Williamsburg.
Wolfe described the ceremony as a full-circle moment, recalling her experience at Convocation when she was a freshman.
“I remember as a freshman, sitting through that Convocation, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is so special,’” Wolfe said. “Then, senior year, getting an award during it. So, it was just a really cool reflection.”
The award included a $500 donation made in Wolfe’s name to a community organization of her choice. For Wolfe, the decision was easy.
“I gave it to The Arc, so they got the $500, which is really cool,” she said.
Wolfe’s journey into community service began in her freshman year. At the time, she did not foresee herself as someone who would devote herself in college to volunteering. Growing up in Suffolk, Va., much of Wolfe’s time in high school was spent on soccer and academics.
“In high school, I played club soccer, and it felt like every weekend I was driving an hour and a half to games,” Wolfe said. “I wasn’t in any service clubs. Honestly, I didn’t picture myself getting involved in that way in college.”
Through her sorority, Wolfe learned about the opportunity to volunteer as a literacy tutor with The Arc, a local nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She signed up and quickly realized how meaningful the work could be.
“When you hear ‘literacy tutor,’ you might think it’s just about reading,” Wolfe said. “But it’s also about building connections. Sometimes we color, sometimes we just talk. It’s about showing up, being consistent and creating relationships.”
By her sophomore year, Wolfe was chosen to serve as Director of Service and Philanthropy for her sorority. In this new leadership role, Wolfe co-led The Arc’s literacy program and coordinated efforts to win the Students for University Advancement’s 2024 Impact Week, which fundraised literacy supplies for the tutoring program.
“I loved it so much that I wanted to keep going,” she said.
After her tenure as Director of Service and Philanthropy, Wolfe applied to become Vice President of Philanthropy for the College’s panhellenic community. This role brought on even larger responsibilities, including overseeing some of The Arc’s most beloved traditions.
Among these traditions is the Arc Carnival, an annual event that brings together more than 200 Arc clients and student volunteers for a day of games, music and celebration.
“The logistics are a lot,” Wolfe said. “You’re matching each client with a student partner, making sure preferences line up. If I know a male client loves sports, I’ll try to pair him with a fraternity member who’s into sports, too. You’re checking that games are accessible, that we’ve got enough water, that the location works. It’s a lot of moving pieces.”
But for Wolfe, the effort is always worth the smiles of participants.
“Even if things don’t go perfectly, we make do along the way,” Wolfe said. “So a lot goes behind it, but it’s always a hit.”
Wolfe’s passion for community work is deeply rooted in her own experiences. She experienced epilepsy during childhood and described often feeling misunderstood by her peers.
“I always felt a little bit different than my peers in elementary school,” Wolfe said. “I felt a bit like an outcast and ended up moving schools due to it.”
Those experiences inspired Wolfe to become involved with the Epilepsy Foundation of America during high school. At the College, Wolfe leaned into the school’s core value of belonging and became drawn to service roles that emphasized education and empowerment.
“For having epilepsy, people assume that cognitively you might not be there because they’re not educated on it,” Wolfe said. “Just because someone has a developmental disability doesn’t mean they can’t read or learn. It’s about educating yourself, educating others and building community.”
In addition to her work with The Arc, Wolfe has pursued opportunities through the College’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement. The office connects students with local nonprofits and offers the Civic Leadership Program, a yearlong cohort designed to develop community leaders.
Wolfe was a member of the 2024 cohort and highlighted her time spent as a teaching assistant for Camp Eager, a coding camp for rising third-graders to high school seniors run through the College’s School of Education.
“I’m a huge proponent of that program,” Wolfe said. “It taught me how to be a leader in a community. Not just doing the work, but thinking about the emotions and stresses that come with leadership.”
For Wolfe, receiving the President’s Award for Service to the Community is representative of an amalgamation of efforts from many students, faculty and community members who have worked side-by-side with her.
“When I got the award, my first thought was, this isn’t just me,” she said. “So many people deserve recognition because I don’t do it alone. It’s always a team effort.”
In her senior year, Wolfe is helping plan The Arc’s upcoming fall dance and brainstorming new fundraisers with other Fraternity and Sorority Life leaders to help support The Arc’s capital campaign to fund a new building for their programs.
“I think for me, service has become about dialogue, not monologue,” Wolfe said. “It’s not about coming in and saying, ‘Here’s what I think you need.’ It’s about asking, ‘What do you want? How can I support you?’ I’ve found it’s most productive interacting with your community partners and doing it together.”
