Hobart and William Smith Colleges

31 March 2025 • Service Impact Conference Inspires Action and Advocacy

Two HWS students attend the largest annual conference focused on engaging college students in service, advocacy and social action.

Lorelei Lynott ’27 and Natalie Sandoval ’25 recently attended the annual Impact Conference in Richmond, Virginia, where keynote speakers, workshops and service projects were geared toward helping college students become changemakers in their communities.

Katie Flowers, Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, invited Lynott and Sandoval to attend the Impact Conference, encouraging them to reflect on how they could apply what they learned to their leadership roles on campus; Lynott is a chapter leader of HWS Habitat for Humanity and board member of the Food Recovery Network, and Sandoval is Secretary of the Latin American Student Association and DEIA officer of Theta Phi Alpha.

“Lorelai hit the ground running in her first year on campus, and has shown real organizational and leadership potential,” Flowers says. “I also liked the symmetry of inviting a first-year and a senior to the conference. I hoped for it to be a passing of the torch.” 

Lynott says her favorite workshop “Championing Change: Transforming Universities into Agents of Impact,” included a session with students from Bentley University, who are spearheading the university’s commitment to becoming the first Fair Trade Certified University.  

“The workshop really emphasized how to go about instituting those kinds of big changes at our own colleges and universities,” Lynott says.

Sandoval's favorite workshops included "Practicing Humility, Mutual Benefit, and Authentic Partnership in Community-Engaged Research" and "Addressing Unconscious Bias to Create More Inclusive Spaces."

Sandoval says she gained knowledge and tools around conducting ethical and sustainable community research and utilizing data as a tool to promote and uplift existing nonprofits and organizations. She says she also left feeling empowered to create and promote inclusive spaces. 

"As a community leader and advocate," Sandoval says, "I need to be able to create and promote inclusive spaces." 

At the conference both students participated in community service, which included spring cleaning at a local cemetary and picking up litter and debris in collaboration with a City of Richmond beautification initiative.  

On campus, Sandoval has participated in Alternative Spring Break. Last summer, she conducted research in Rwanda through the Research Experience for Undergraduates program.

On their return to campus, Lynott and Sandoval gave a presentation on their trip to the Service-Learning Advisory Counsel. View their presentation here.