Julian Clement Chase Prize for Community Impact
"Having seen things of beauty and grace, of kindness and great promise, it is not for us to mourn, but to enact. It is for us to ensure that those fine things we witnessed are carried forward into the world."
The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service awards the Julian Clement Chase Prize for Community Impact in the District of Columbia. This $2,000 award is the leading prize to honor GW students for excellence in community service impact. Honorable mentions will also receive a $500 award. It illuminates excellence and effective practice in student community engagement and provides exemplars to the DC, GW, and broader community of the impact that students can have when working with members of the community to enhance the quality of life in the DC community.
The Julian Clement Chase Prize for Community Impact in the District of Columbia differs from other Nashman Center student honors in that it is the only monetary prize that recognizes specific work completed. While Nashman Center student community engagement projects already are strong in achieving positive impact with DC, this example will help to tip the balance further in favor of real-world outcome and completion in student projects.
Jcc Prize for Community Impact in the
District of Columbia Winners
Ruby Leonard - 2025 Winner
What Was the Project and Impact?
SewUp! is a youth-focused sustainable fashion initiative developed and led by Ruby Leonard in partnership with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) in Washington, DC.
Funded through the GWupstart Eco-Equity Grant, the project aimed to reduce textile waste and promote environmental justice by teaching local youth how to upcycle clothing using sewing techniques and sustainable practices. Click here for photos, workshop slides, and additional data analysis.
The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) provided space, support, and access to youth participants. Ruby collaborated closely with LAYC staff, GW faculty, local fashion professionals, and student volunteers to ensure the curriculum was culturally responsive and engaging. The program concluded with a public exhibition of student work and the launch of a permanent clothing swap at LAYC. Some highlights from the project were,
- Led a 10-week sewing and sustainability workshop at the LAYC Teen Center from February to May 2025.
- Served students with little to no prior sewing experience, teaching them essential skills through guided, hands-on instruction.
- Students completed projects, including pincushions, tote bags, and personalized garments, using only 100% recycled materials.
- Materials were sourced through local clothing drives and community fabric donations.
- Each session included lessons on the environmental, ethical and human impacts of fast fashion, encouraging student reflection and discussion.
- Ruby received the Luther Rice Fellowship to expand SewUp! into a research-based study on student learning and community impact.
Added to their Art + Media Program, LAYC offered creative afterschool opportunities that promoted youth leadership and civic engagement. Students had long expressed interest in sewing and sustainability, but the center lacked resources to offer a class, until Ruby Leonard partnered with them. With guidance from Art + Media Coordinator Lianna Zaragoza, LAYC helped tailor the SewUp! curriculum to student needs, supported a community clothing drive, and hosted the workshops. The program quickly became one of the most popular offerings of the semester, with a waitlist forming on day one. Thanks to Ruby’s supplies and continued involvement, LAYC now has a permanent sewing center and will soon launch a community clothing swap, extending the project’s lasting impact.
Brooke Moses – Honorable Mention
What Was the Project and Impact?
The STEM Field Day at Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LPTM) was an interactive event led by Brooke Moses that introduced elementary and middle school boys from Washington, DC’s Wards 7 and 8 to various STEM fields.
With the help of black and brown George Washington University student volunteers, the students engaged in hands-on activities and learned about real-world STEM careers from role models who shared their backgrounds. Some highlights from the project were,
- Organized and hosted a full-day interactive STEM event at LPTM for over 40 elementary and middle school boys from underserved DC neighborhoods.
- Recruited and coordinated 18 Black and Brown GW student volunteers representing diverse STEM fields including Physics, Chemistry, Brain Science, Engineering, and Public Health.
- Delivered hands-on experiments and presentations, such as building catapults, coding with binary bracelet-making, and creating “elephant toothpaste” to engage participants.
- Provided intentional representation by matching students with mentors who share their racial and cultural backgrounds, reinforcing belonging in STEM spaces.
- Collaborated closely with LPTM staff and GW departments to design content that was culturally relevant and responsive to the needs of the local community.
- Supported the sustainability of the initiative by integrating STEM Field Day lessons into weekly afterschool STEM programming at LPTM, maintaining long-term engagement and impact.
Funded by the inaugural Nashman Center Microgrants, this project sparked curiosity, built confidence, and inspired many participants to consider future opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The project helped address long-standing inequities in STEM education by providing access to meaningful learning and representation for underserved youth. Feedback showed increased excitement and interest in STEM subjects, while the ongoing weekly STEM activities at LPTM continued to reinforce the lessons learned. Brooke’s work built a stronger connection between the university and the community, empowering youth to envision themselves as future innovators and leaders.
2024 - Shreya Papneja
Screen in Time and Save a Life: Increasing Cancer Screening Literacy and Resources among Community Members in Wards 7 and 8 in the District of Columbia
Program and ceremony details can be found here. Read her GW Today Story here.
2024 Winner Shreya Papneja with Bell Julian Clement
2023 - Bailey Moore
Winner of the Inaugural Chase Prize for Community Impact in 2023, shared her work with Planned Parenthood of Washington DC to design "An Expanded Curriculum for Sisters Informing Healing Living and Empowering (SIHLE)," a mentorship program promoting frank and accurate discussion of women's sexual health issues among African American teens. Her project is posted and can be found, open access, to GWScholarSpace.
Eligibility
The Julian Clement Chase Prize for Community Impact in the District of Columbia will be awarded to one GW undergraduate student (or small team) annually for their work in partnership with community residents and a community organization or public agency to make a positive difference in the life of the city. In awarding the prize, the committee will hold positive ongoing impact in the community as the central criterion. In addition, the committee will look to the document outlining the Intentions of the Founders in creating the Julian Clement Chase Prize in assessing and reviewing applications.
The prize will be awarded for activities undertaken in the immediately preceding academic year, although the project may have begun before and is likely to continue. The student(s) must have been enrolled at GW in a degree-granting program during at least one semester of the year in which they undertook the project.
Community Engagement Projects may be undertaken as a part of a course, in the co-curriculum, or outside the curriculum. Projects must demonstrate community voice in clarifying the issues and root causes, as well as in designing the initiative. The focus of this award is on the significance of the community impact of the initiative or program.
How to Apply
Student projects may be self-nominated or nominated by GW faculty, staff, students, or community members.
The application for the JCC Prize for Community Impact in DC will be considered a record of the project undertaken and may include a paper, video, PowerPoint presentation, or similar. Winning applicants will be asked to share this record with the public through a presentation in the fall following submission.
An academic product is not required; however, evidence of impact in the community is required. This may take many forms, but it must be compelling. Examples of evidence may include, but aren’t limited to: the results of a formal quantitative or qualitative assessment or evaluation; testimony gathered from those affected; photos and recordings of the program or project.
Due Date
Nominations would be requested by or before May 15th, 2026, for consideration over the summer.
Award Schedule
Awardee will be asked to present their successful initiative at the Prize Event using the application material as a guide to the presentation, which may take the form of a talk, a PowerPoint presentation, or may use recorded media.
Projects or initiatives that take place during academic year 2025 (Sept '24- May '25) will be the first eligible programs. Applications will be due 15th May, 2025 and the award ceremony will be held in Fall 2025.
Check out the archive of all previous Julian Clement Chase winning projects here!
Questions?
Contact us at upstart
gwu [dot] edu