Four Johnnies to receive Man of Extraordinary Service Awards
April 23, 2019
Four Saint John’s University students will be honored with the 2019 Man of Extraordinary Service Awards.
Will Gillach, Muqkadeen Poole, Michael Kelly and Simeon Farquharson will receive their awards during a private reception April 28. SJU President Michael Hemesath will be presenting the awards to the students, who each receive a monetary award of $2,500. Funding for the award is provided by the generosity of anonymous donors.
The award annually recognizes the work of four distinguished Saint John’s students who are characterized by personal commitment to service, which promotes community, justice, work with others to accomplish a greater good and thoughtful reflection about service in light of Benedictine Values and/or Catholic Social Teaching.
Candidates for this award are nominated by other students, faculty and staff. Students can only receive the award once during their time at SJU.
Gillach is a senior biochemistry major from Lindstrom, Minnesota. He volunteers weekly as a child mentor at Anna Marie’s Alliance, a St. Cloud domestic abuse shelter. Gillach also visits weekly a dementia patient at St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Hospital. On campus, he helped raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and helped organize the annual Kids Fighting Hunger meal packing events. Gillach participated in a service trip to Nicaragua, where he helped treat over 300 patients in impoverished communities. A decorated wide receiver on the SJU football team, Gillach will receive the 2019 Stein-Fallon Scholar-Athlete Award from the Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation at the 12th annual Minnesota Football Awards on April 27, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He also was selected to receive a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA.
Poole is a senior peace studies major from Newark, New Jersey, who attended St. Benedict’s Preparatory School. Service to others is an important part of Poole’s life, and he has led the Cultural Affairs Board, serving on the SJU Senate for three years, founding the first Joint Student Muslim Society Club on campus and the Black Student Association. Poole is an Intercultural LEAD Scholar, serving as a mentor to students of color, and is an Entrepreneur Scholar. His business venture through the later program caters to high schools, colleges and businesses through diversity training. Outside the campus community, Poole participates in Asambea, a community group assisting immigrants in St. Cloud, and The Cause, an organization that raises money to give to those in need. Following graduation, Poole plans to go to the Philippines through the Benedictine Volunteer Corps to teach English for a year.
Kelly is a junior individualized neuroscience major from Duluth, Minnesota. A committed humanitarian, he exercises his impact on the college community through his participation in the Peer Resource Program and the Student Health Assistant Program, a volunteer research opportunity for approximately 30 students at St. Cloud Hospital. He also volunteers at the hospital, transporting patients through the building and ensuring quality care. Kelly takes great joy in working in the Academic Advising Department. As a first-generation college student, he established the First-Generation Organization to find resources students need to succeed. Alternative Break Experiences and the VIDA Volunteer Program provided opportunities to serve in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
Farquharson is a sophomore accounting major from Nassau, Bahamas. He is an active member of the SJU Senate, and serves as the chair of the Activities and Allocations Board. Farquharson is a resident assistant in Saint Boniface Hall and considers the students of his floor to be his immediate campus family. He his passionate about helping children, and volunteers at the Roosevelt Boys and Girls Club, St. Cloud, and with the Homework Helpers program hosted at the College of Saint Benedict. Farquharson also is a member of the newly formed pop band called the J-Walkers, which perform a plethora of music genres at different cultural events on campus. Another area that he is passionate about is sustainability efforts at both CSB and SJU. When home in the Bahamas, he volunteers at Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre.