Living Out the Legacy of
Alyson Lawendowski '93 By Dave Roncolato ’79, Director of Civic Engagement
While at Allegheny, Alyson majored in psychology and joined a sorority. She also was instrumental in launching Allegheny’s community service effort in the early 1990s, serving as a volunteer in a Meadville elementary school. Although so many of Alyson’s college experiences were positive, Alyson also faced adversity — she battled cancer three of her four years at Allegheny. She died just one month after her graduation in 1993. Following Alyson’s death, her parents found a way to honor their daughter. They created the Alyson Lawendowski Award for Community Service — an award given annually to a student who has been instrumental in advancing the College’s commitment to service. Alyson left a poem posted on her bulletin board in the red house, now the Prayer and Meditation Retreat, when she left campus for the last time. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the award, the poem was re-hung in 2013 by Alyson’s twin brother and father in this same house, now the Meditation and Mindfulness house. The poem offers words of advice for all student service leaders especially during this difficult time of the Global Pandemic:
4 ENGAGED | Fall 2021
