By Keyanna Dunn '16
Siena College alumnus Layvon Washington ’14, the first recipient of the Doug and Cris Lonnstrom HEOP Excellence Award, returned to campus to speak with Dr. Lonnstrom on WVCR-FM about the impact he has made on the greater community since graduation.
Established by Doug Lonnstrom, Ph.D., professor of quantitative business analysis, and his wife Cris, this award is extended to HEOP students who have shown academic success and exemplify Franciscan values that have been taught through the College. Students granted this award are given $5,000 to assist them after they graduate. This gift was instrumental in helping Washington get started after his graduation from Siena.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Washington was no stranger to Catholic education when he arrived at Siena. While considering his options for higher education, Washington knew he wanted to continue at an institution that valued the Catholic education he had grown up embracing.
During Washington’s time studying political science at Siena, he began to view the complexities and hardships in low-income communities from intellectual and political perspectives. With that in mind, he made the decision to focus on this issue after he graduated from Siena. Washington credits Vera Eccarius-Kelly, Ph.D., professor of political science, for helping him to analyze domestic and international problems. His passion for change only continued to flourish during his time at American University through the Washington Semester Program. With the inspiration he received from teachers and the opportunities he embraced, Washington became focused on making a change in low income communities while also giving back.
During Washington's time at Siena he was involved in many clubs and organizations that allowed him to begin following his path towards giving back through mentoring. He mentored 15 incoming Siena students through the The Saints Program, and took part in the HEOP Peer Mentoring Program, where he mentored two freshmen students every week. Washington was also a member of The Black and Latino Student Union, which helped him to exercise his skills identifying and solving issues within specific groups.
Through the non-profit organization City Year, affiliated with AmeriCorp, Washington was able to work with third graders in low-income schools in the Washington D.C. area after graduation. There, he implemented his knowledge from Siena by breaking down issues, seeing why they exist, and how they could be solved.
Recently, Washington had the privilege to visit the White House, an opportunity given to him by City Year.
“I was able to meet President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton, who really believed in the power of service…It was a really amazing experience. They really appreciate national service and they believe that it can engender change,” said Washington.
Currently, Washington is working on his master’s degree in Public Administration at Syracuse University. He is focusing on the study of how policies affect low-income communities with the hope of one day fixing these problems. He plans to apply for Law school to become an advocate for these issues. Eventually, the Siena College Alumnus and first recipient of the Lonnstrom HEOP Excellence Award, Layvon Washington, hopes to one day run for U.S. Senate.
