Cynthia Herrera, a senior at Montevallo High School, recently won the President’s Volunteer Service Award as part of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Program, which is awarded to students who exhibit exemplary leadership qualities and earn an impressive number of community service hours. Cynthia earned the prestigious recognition based on her involvement and leadership in multiple organizations at MHS and the various community service activities in which these organizations engage.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.

The program’s goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Over the past 19 years, more than 370,000 young Americans have participated in the program, and more than 100,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer efforts.

While thousands upon thousands of applicants representing high schools from around the United States participated in the program, a select group of applicants received honors and awards for their outstanding service and leadership. The honorees and award-winners were chosen based on the criteria of personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact, and personal growth. Cynthia certainly met these criteria as she demonstrates these qualities every day as a student-leader at MHS.