TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Tyler Horn, a senior social work major at Indiana State University, was recently awarded the President's Award for Civic and Community Leadership.
Horn has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and as a volunteer for Vigo County Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the ISU Early Childhood Education Center. He served as president and co-founder of the ISU chapter of College Mentors for Kids, which pairs college students with at-risk elementary school children for activities that center around valuing higher education, community service and cultural diversity.
Rhonda Impink, assistant professor of social work, said Horn's work with College Mentors for Kids was very rewarding and allowed him to tap into his leadership skills.
"I saw him when he was working with the children and his face lit up with excitement. He had to work through and overcome various bureaucratic impediments in order to establish, maintain and arrange funding for College Mentors for Kids," she said.
Horn has worked as an intern at the Ryves Hall Youth Center, where he worked with a small caseload of boys who are Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), assisted with the Center's substance abuse prevention program and the Ryves Hall Neighborhood Association. He is currently completing an internship with the Southwest Parke Community School Corporation, where he is conducting research on the differences in rural gender-based education based on factors such as gender, socioeconomic and special education status.
Since 1991, Horn has done public speaking engagements about his personal experience with Cerebral Palsy and learning disabilities.
He is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the National CASA Association, the ISU Student Social Work Association and became certified by the American Red Cross in Fall 2005 in CPR, First Aid and Disaster Response.
"When I first came to Terre Haute in the summer of 2002 I knew that I wanted to do more than just receive a degree. I wanted to make an impact," he said.
He plans to continue his education in the field of social work at the University of Louisville.
The President's Award for Civic and Community Leadership is presented annually to a junior or senior at ISU who has made community service an integral part of their college experience. The award honors and encourages students who have given generously of their time and energy through participation in community service activities.
Contact: Nancy Rogers, Center for Public Service and Community Engagement, (812) 237-7900 or nancyrogers@indstate.edu
Writer: Paula Meyer, ISU Communications & Marketing, (812 )237-3783 or devmeyer@isugw.indstate.edu
ISU Communications and Marketing: (812) 237-3773 or http://www.indstate.edu/news