Academic Advisor Alyssa Jennings Wins NC State Award for Excellence for Compassionate Service

By Elyse Boldizar

Academic advisor Alyssa Jennings’ mother always said, “Make your corner of the world as good and kind as possible, and the ripple effects will be far-reaching.” 

It is a mantra that Jennings has lived by during her time at the Wilson College of Textiles. From supporting students beyond academics to going out of her way to help staff members in need, Jennings demonstrates compassion in everything she does, members of the Wilson College say. 

NC State University recognized Jennings’ service this June by announcing her as one of the 12 winners of the NC State Award for Excellence. The award is the highest honor given to non-faculty employees at NC State. The selection committee chooses nominees based on exceptional efforts that go beyond their typical job responsibilities. 

Serving the college community

Jennings displayed outstanding public service last year after learning that members of the Wilson College housekeeping staff were experiencing food insecurity.

“It started with me just seeing if we could leave leftover catered food for the housekeepers as a way to say thank you and to make sure that the food was eaten,” Jennings says. ”Long story short, I learned that many of the housekeeping staff are struggling to meet basic needs.”

In response, Jennings started bringing in nonperishable food, toiletries and other supplies for whoever needed them. 

“Pretty much overnight all of the food was gone,” Jennings says. “So I was like, ‘Okay, there’s definitely a need for this.’”

Since then, Jennings has brought in food nearly every week for the past year. With the help of a few donations from others in the college, Jennings has provided everything from canned goods and bread to toiletries and spices. 

Passionate about kindness

Despite the difficulty of balancing her regular job responsibilities with running the food pantry, Jennings says that helping those in need is a cause that is close to her heart.

“The older that I’ve gotten, the more I have seen and experienced hardship, either in my own life or observing other folks. I just care very, very deeply about helping however I can,” Jennings says. ”These larger problems can be overwhelming, but you can break it down to ‘Okay, I can’t solve this, but I can help.’” 

Associate Director of Academic Services Meggie Metcalf says Jennings’ passion for helping others has always been evident.

“I think anyone who talks to Alyssa notices her kind heart,” Metcalf, who is Jennings’ supervisor, says. “That’s just who she is. She wants to make sure whoever she’s talking with is heard, supported and knows that they are valued as a person first.”

In addition to running her own food pantry, Jennings is also a member of the Pack Essentials Steering Committee, an organization made up of staff, faculty and students who work to address food and housing insecurity on campus. 

Pack Essentials primarily serves those in need through Feed the Pack, a food pantry located on NC State’s main campus. Despite logistical concerns about a permanent location at the Wilson College, Jennings’ hopes to generate enough support to one day open a full food pantry on Centennial Campus. In the upcoming academic year, she plans to lead a pop-up food pantry with collection bins throughout the Wilson College to allow more individuals to get involved. 

“Fundamentally, I just want to encourage everyone within the college to be kind and take care of one another,” Jennings says. “As we get older. I think it’s not explicitly taught anymore, it’s just kind of expected that everyone knows to be a good person. But I like making it a bit more explicit because I think that it’s needed. We can sometimes get complacent and comfortable and don’t necessarily pay as much attention to the folks around us. It’s important that we encourage one another to help however we can.” 

Supporting the pantry

To donate to the food pantry or learn more about how you can combat food insecurity at the Wilson College, please contact Jennings’ at anjenni3@ncsu.edu Additionally, if you or someone you know is currently experiencing food or housing insecurity, refer to Pack Essentials for additional support.