Williamsburg Man Receives Leadership Award

Mount Aloysius College student John Price will be awarded the 2020 Student Veteran Leadership Award from G.I. Jobs magazine. The award is given to 48 veteran students across the United States who show exemplary leadership and involvement in their community.

Price, of Williamsburg, is a 2020 graduate of the college's physical therapy assistant program and is working to complete a bachelor's in natural science.

He also serves as the president of the on-campus Military Social Club and is highly involved with the Sankertown VFW and the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Altoona.

Sally Weber, Mount Aloysius' Coordinator of Military Affairs, nominated Price for this award.

"I believe John deserved the leadership award because of his commitment to veteran affairs on campus, his mentorship to other students, and his outreach to the community and local veteran organizations," she said. "Everyone at the college is extremely proud of John's accomplishments."

Price served in the U.S. Navy from 2009 to 2013 as a Petty Officer 3rd Class. During that time, he was able to travel to 29 different countries and provided humanitarian aid to several third-world countries. On his humanitarian deployment, Price assisted in delivering supplies to schools and medical facilities in countries like Tonga, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.

"When I received the email about this award, I was filled with happiness and gratitude," Price said. "It inspired me to continue to fulfill the qualities of a student veteran and to continue to develop new involvement activities for veterans and their communities."

Price hopes to work with the VA as a physical therapy assistant so that he can help to rehabilitate his fellow veterans. He plans to continue to volunteer with the VFW and other veterans' groups. The list of Student Veteran Leadership Award recipients will be published in the August 2020 issue of G.I. Jobs magazine.

This year, Mount Aloysius College was awarded the Military Friendly designation for the 10th consecutive year and achieved GOLD status for the second year.