JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Throughout September and October, First Coast News is highlighting 12 Who Care Service Awards Finalists for their selfless efforts to help make the first coast a better place to live every day.
The first finalist is Ponte Vedra High School graduate Alexis Magnano. Before she went off to college, Alexis dedicated herself to making a difference through a number of organizations and platforms; JaxTHRIVE, VolunTeen, and SmartArt.
"Being around people who are different from you, you figure out that you have a lot more similarities than you originally thought. But you also can appreciate your differences," 12 Who Care Finalist Alexis Magnano said.
Alexis Magnano is founding member and former Co-President of JaxTHRIVE, a tutoring and mentoring peer led program for refugee students in Jacksonville.
"It's a lot of fun, hanging out with the children is amazing," Magnano said.
She says the organization has greatly impacted the local community.
"We had over 250 volunteers serving I think, around 300 students," Magnano said.
Magnano graduated from Ponte Vedra High School and is now a Robertson Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.
She's hoping to further the impact of JaxTHRIVE in North Carolina.
"Durham is also a large refugee hub. I think that having different people with all these backgrounds would be a great way to kind of connect everybody and maybe help them experience something that they haven't seen before," Magnano said.
She also founded VolunTeen, a social media platform that connects students with other volunteer opportunities and established a program called SmartArt that supports nursing home residents and homeless families.
"Community service requirements are a huge reason why people are getting involved, but then they realized that it's making a real difference on them. I think that service is great for everybody and a great way to kind of get back to your community," Magnano said.
Magnano was rewarded with the President’s Volunteer Service Award and received the Unsung COVID Leader Award from Leadership Jacksonville in 2021. She says she is grateful to be nominated for 12 Who Care.
"I think that it was amazing seeing that people in my community are appreciative of the work that I've been doing," Magnano said.