Barnhill Civic Trailblazer Award
Created in 2011 to honor John H. Barnhill, the founding executive director of NC Campus Compact (see History), the Barnhill Civic Trailblazer Award is given to ONE student from the statewide network. Nominees — one per campus — must be undergraduate students in their final year. The Civic Trailblazer should demonstrate innovation in civic engagement, work to integrate their service into campus structures, inspire others to serve, and make a meaningful impact on campus or community.
During an odd-numbered year the winner is recognized in the fall at the CSNAP Conference. During an even-numbered year the winner is recognized in the fall during the virtual Engagement Matters ceremony for student award winners. The winner is also recognized each spring during the PACE Conference. The Barnhill Award includes a cash prize, half of which will be given to the winner, and the other half will be donated to a nonprofit organization of the winner’s choice.
2024 Barnhill Civic Trailblazer
Jaya Dayal, UNC-Chapel Hill
Jaya, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in Public Health, has built a reputation as a dedicated service leader committed to building bridges and connecting across differences. During her time at UNC, she served as an AmeriCorps-City Year member, Global Gap Year Fellow, UNC Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services Volunteer & Peer Educator, Community Empowerment Fund Advocate, and NC Student Dialogue Ambassador. She also held multiple internship roles.
Jaya was foundational in the formation of the annual UNC Y Dialogue Series, which hosts a series of five dialogues on campus each semester about topics relevant to the UNC community. She is also the Co-Founder of the UNC Democracy & Dialogue Fellows Program, a year-long initiative that empowers students to use dialogue as a tool to have challenging yet necessary conversations while developing civic skills.
Jaya selected the Community Empowerment Fund to receive a donation in her name, sponsored by John H. Barnhill.
Jaya Dayal was honored at the 2025 PACE Conference and Presidents Forum on February 12, 2025. You can hear her remarks at the virtual Engagement Matters Student Awards Ceremony on November 13, 2024, by watching the recording to the right.
Pictured: Jaya Dayal and John H. Barnhill at the 2025 PACE Conference.
Nomination Process
- Nominations open the second week in August. The deadline is in October.
- Faculty or Staff member completes an online nomination form.
- Nominator submits letter(s) of support on office letterhead to ncce {at} ncengage(.)org as well as the nominees resume.
- Nominator submits print-quality headshot image (300 dpi or larger) of student as .jpeg or .png file to ncce {at} ncengage(.)org
Please note that the Community Impact Student Award uses a separate nomination form.
Note: Nominators may tell their nominee that they have been nominated for this award. NCCE will inform all nominators of the selected winner.
- Nominee must be an undergraduate student in their final year at a member campus
- Can be current nominees or former winners of the Community Impact Student Award
- Each member campus may submit only one nominee
- Both nominators and nominees must attend the CSNAP student conference (even-numbered years) or the PACE conference (odd-numbered years)
- Campuses are encouraged to have a special awards presentation on their campus
Past Trailblazers
2023 – Maya Martin, Fayetteville State University
2022 – Kamren Lewis, UNC Pembroke
2021 – Aigné Taylor, NC A & T State University
2020 – Brian Thompson, Warren Wilson College
2019 – Neariah Mandisa-Drummond, UNC Charlotte
2018 – Zaynah Afada, Guilford College
2017 –Brian Wuertz, Warren Wilson College
2016 – Jenny Fukunaga, Elon University
2015 – Kate Gatterdam, Queens University of Charlotte
2014 – Aaron Marshall, Western Carolina University
2013 – Amanda Moore, Appalachian State University
2012 – Rachel Stanley, Elon University
2011 – Morgan Abbott, UNC-Chapel Hill and Sam Williams, Appalachian State University
About John Barnhill
John H. Barnhill serves as the Associate Vice President of University Advancement at Elon University. He works with a dynamic team of professionals leading the Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving, Parent Engagement, Advancement Communications, Advancement Services and Donor Relations departments. Often acting as a liaison for Advancement; he serves on the Vice President’s leadership team to oversee divisional priorities and provides leadership to Academic Deans to increase strategic engagement of alumni and parents. In 2010, he led the effort to create a strategic plan for alumni, which laid the current foundation of Elon’s vibrant alumni network. Seeking to further engage Elon’s broadening alumni base, John conceived and piloted #ElonDay in 2014, an annual Day of Giving for the university. Since then, John has spearheaded nine successful ‘Elon Days’, the raising over $16.5M and creating a pattern of support from all constituents.
John also draws from his experience serving as Salem State University’s Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement. While there, he managed a team of 17 staff members, served on the President’s leadership team and co-chaired Salem State’s five-year strategic planning committee. Under his leadership, annual alumni events and activities doubled, the number of $1,000 donors grew 67% and the office of Institutional Advancement rebranded their marketing materials.
Graduating from Elon in 1992, John started his professional career at Elon and has led a number of programmatic efforts that remain critical to Elon’s success. In 2002, he served as the founding Executive Director of North Carolina Campus Compact (now named North Carolina Campus Engagement), a collaborative network of 37 colleges and universities committed to educating engaged citizens and strengthening communities. Earlier as the Assistant Dean of Students, he directed the Residence Life and Service Learning departments and co-created the Experiential Learning Requirement. As the Director of Service Learning and Leadership Development, he oversaw the endowment and creation of the nationally recognized Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. In the same role, he created the student leadership model, which involves students in progressive responsibility for coordination of both leadership and service programs. As a student, with Chaplain Emeritus Richard McBride, he started Elon’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Elon Volunteers! (EV!).
John holds a Masters of Education from UNC Greensboro and lives with his wife and two daughters in Greensboro, NC.
