Senior politics major Anabel Cassady poses with children she met in Uganda as part of USF's Erasmus program.
University of San
Francisco
seniors Anabel Cassady and Alia Al-Sharif are this year’s winners of the Spirit
of St. Francis and Pedro Arrupe awards, two of the university’s most
prestigious honors for service and justice.
Previously awarded to graduating seniors during commencement
at year’s end, USF President Stephen
A. Privett, S.J.
decided to present the awards to incoming seniors this year to highlight the
work of USF students during their final year.
Politics major, Anabel Cassady is the recipient of the
Spirit of St. Francis Award,
bestowed on a student who embodies the ideals of St. Francis Assisi – after
whom San Francisco is named.
The award recognizes outstanding service, especially to the
poor and disenfranchised in San Francisco and beyond. A human rights advocate
and outspoken critic of human trafficking as president of USF’s Not For Sale
Campaign club, Cassady has spent time in Hungary researching the issue of Roma
women being trafficked to Amsterdam’s red-light district. Cassady has also been
part of University Ministry’s immersion experiences and lobbying activities in
Washington D.C.
USF’s Pedro Arrupe Award-winner
is Alia Al-Sharif, a psychology major.
Named in honor of the 28th Superior General of the Society
of Jesus, the award honors a student who exemplifies a commitment to justice by
working to transform social structures in order to alleviate poverty and
oppression.
Al-Sharif, an executive member of USF’s Muslim
Student Association, has worked tirelessly in several posts on the ASUSF
Senate. She authored a recently approved ASUSF resolution requiring USF to
provide interfaith prayer spaces on campus. She was a coordinator of the
successful Haiti Bingo Benefit in spring 2010, is an active member of Students
Taking Action Against Sexual Violence on campus, and an advocate for students
with disabilities.
