Joy Marie Hallare / The Collegian

Celeste Pilegard, 21, won the 2010 University Student Volunteer of the Year for her hard work in multiple charities on campus.

Pilegard, along with being the current volunteer coordinator for the Bulldog Pantry, was also an ambassador for the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. She also was an active member of the recycling club and did volunteer work for Smittcamp Family Honors College.

Pilegard is a founding member of the Bulldog Pantry which provides groceries every Saturday morning for about 200 needy families around the Fresno State campus.

“I was a freshman at the time and I got to meet a lot of great people working with the pantry,” Pilegard said. “It was really the first thing that got me involved at Fresno State.”

A Fresno native, Pilegard decided to stay in her backyard for college.

“I grew up in Fresno and I decided to stay here for college because I felt like I could make an impact here in some way,” Pilegard said. “I decided to challenge myself to see how much of an impact I could make because I know the town and what the community needs.”

Pilegard was surprised to learn that she had won the award. This award carries with it the title, a letter of recognition from President Welty, a plaque and a $1,500 scholarship from the Marc and Marjorie Radin Award for Excellence in Service.

“I know a lot of active volunteers at Fresno State,” Pilegard said. “It is hard to feel deserving when I know a lot of people that dedicate every free moment they have to helping other people.”

The decision of who is bestowed the award falls on an anonymous group comprised of faculty, staff and students.

In her work as an ambassador for the Richter Center, Pilegard served as a liaison between the center and campus various programs to infuse community service into the university.

“I was lucky to get selected for the Richter Center,” Pilegard said. “They were looking for students leaders and I was recommended by someone at the Bulldog Pantry.”

Mellissa Jessen, assistant director of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, is supportive of the decision of Pilegard winning this award.

“I am very impressed by Celeste’s work. She consistently demonstrates a mature professionalism way beyond her years,” Jessen said. “She is very gracious in her work with others, showing respect to all she encounters. She is also very creative and she uses that creativity to help promote service at Fresno State.”

Renee Delport, special events and projects coordinator for the Richter Center, thinks that Fresno State needs more people like Pilegard.

“The university would only benefit from people like Celeste,” Delport said. “One person can make an impact and volunteering is defintely a way to make your voice heard.”

Pilgard plans on graduating with a psychology degree and applying to Ph.D programs. Her goal is to become a university professor.

“People that come to Fresno State and do not volunteer are missing out on something that is critical to the Fresno State experience,” Pilegard said.