COAR Council Leaders
COAR’s Council Leaders are the students who run our weekly volunteer programs. We are very thankful for all they do! See below for more information about our COAR Council Leaders.
— Stafford Junction —
Molly Gilhool is a junior majoring in BioChem. Molly is a leader for Stafford Junction because she loves the kids there, and tutoring them is a great way for her to practice her teaching! In her free time, Molly is a cheerleader here at UMW, and she also loves baking and reading. Molly’s favorite COAR event is Pay it Forward Day.
Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia
— Hope House —
Journey Mason is a junior English and Elementary Education double major with a minor in Spanish. She is co-leader for Hope House and her favorite COAR event is Into the Streets. Outside of COAR, she competes on UMW’s Track and Field team.
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Jadyn Freeman is a senior majoring in Sociology. She is co-leader for Hope House, and her favorite COAR event is Good Neighbor Day. Outside of COAR, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and listening to music.
Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia
— Environmental Awareness and Action—
Nora Russo is a junior majoring in Environmental Sustainability and Policy. She is a co-leader for EAA because she cares about having a clean, healthy environment and she is also interested in how community can come together to participate in local sustainability. Outside of COAR she enjoys being outside, drawing, and listening to music! Her favorite COAR event is Engage with the Earth Day!
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia
Mattea Ryan is a freshman majoring in Conservation Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She is a co-leader for EAA because she is passionate about saving our environment and combating the consequences of climate change. Outside of COAR, she loves to read, run and watercolor in her free time! Her favorite COAR event is the Gift Wrapping Party!
Hometown: Basking Ridge, New Jersey
— Downtown Greens —
Morgan Galusha is a senior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Sustainability. Morgan is a co-leader for Downtown Greens because they love the organization and their mission. They enjoy spending time with likeminded outdoorsy people and they look forward to spending time outside while making a positive impact on the land. In their free time Morgan enjoys collecting seeds and growing native plants, making art with up-cycled materials and baking. Their favorite COAR event is MLK day of service.
Hometown: Stafford, Virginia
Wood Lin is a junior majoring in Environmental Science and Biomedical Sciences. Wood is a co-leader for Downtown Greens because it was the first program they volunteered with here at UMW and they lead it because it puts an emphasis on the local community taking care of nature instead of depending on larger more influential people to change the world. In their free time they enjoy drawing, tinkering with electronics and studying. Their favorite COAR event is Good Neighbor day!
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia
— Food Recovery —
Erin Dutton is a senior majoring in Communication and Digital Studies. Erin is a leader for Food Recovery because this student-led group is just one of many across the whole U.S. who all work together to fight food waste and end hunger. Erin thinks it is heart warming to be a part of something so large where each group is directly helping their community. She takes pride in hand delivering the food with her co-leaders every week and having conversations with the amazing community partners. She is also excited to be running the @umwfoodrecoverynetwork Instagram to provide the campus with updates on the program’s successes! In her free time, Erin is a sucker for reality TV drama! Her favorite COAR event is Into the Streets.
Hometown: Bealeton, Virginia
Hannah Jadgchew is a junior majoring in Psychology. Hannah is a leader for Food Recovery because she loves being able to connect with people at UMW who are passionate about community service and connecting with the wonderful people at the Thurman Brisben Center! In her free time, Hannah enjoys playing field hockey! Her favorite COAR event is the Head Start Wrapping Party.
Hometown: San Diego, California
— SPCA —
Emma James is a senior majoring in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education. She co-leads the SPCA program with COAR, in which students go to volunteer at the local animal shelter. Emma wanted to lead this program because she volunteered at her local animal shelter and is interested in continuing her passion for animal welfare while pursuing her education. Emma loves to crochet, as well as rewatch her favorite shows and movies. Her favorite COAR event is Into the Streets. She is looking forward to volunteering at the SPCA this semester!
Hometown: Gloucester, Virginia
Summers Worthington, a junior double-majoring in Studio Art and Digital Studies, is one of the co-leaders for SPCA! Summers is a leader for SPCA because she absolutely loves animals and has ever since she was a child; thanks to Sir David Attenborough (the best animal planet narrator of all time) Summers knows an absurd amount of animal facts and has been surrounded by dogs and cats her whole life. In her free time, Summers loves reading, crocheting, watching Survivor with her roommate, and of course, making art! Her favorite COAR event is the Head Start Wrapping Party.
Hometown: Gordonsville, Virginia
— BIGS in Schools —
Victoria Smith is a senior majoring in Psychology and is one of the co-leaders for the BIGS in Schools program. Victoria enjoys being on council for BIGS because she gets to make a positive difference in the lives of younger community members! In her free time, Victoria likes loves watching basketball and hanging out with her friends. Victoria’s favorite COAR event is Into the Streets.
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia
Hope McCallister is a junior majoring in Psychology. She is one of the co-leaders for the BIGS program because she enjoys spending time with the kids and making their days a little brighter. In her free time, Hope likes playing volleyball and hanging out with friends. Her favorite COAR event is the Head Start Wrapping Party.
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
— Gwen Hale Resource Center —
Laurie Zdenek is a junior majoring in Historic Preservation with a minor in German. They are a co-leader for the Gwen Hale Resource Center and love helping their campus community. In their free time, they love to devour a good book and hang out with their friends. Laurie’s favorite COAR event is Good Neighbor Day!
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Caz Hatton is a senior majoring in sociology with a minor in social justice. They are a co-leader for the Gwen Hale Resource Center and love being a part of the program which supports our students and community. In their free time, they love to knit, read, and spend time with friends. Caz’s favorite COAR event is Good Neighbor Day!
Hometown: Montclair, Virginia
— Green Crew —
Everett Vegso is a sophomore double-majoring in Accounting and Mathematics, and another co-leader for Green Crew! Everett loves being on Green Crew because he loves working with plants! At home, he worked at a garden shop and has some degree of research into invasive species; Green crew helped combine these two interests for him! Outside of COAR and classes, Everett loves hanging out with friends and visiting local animal shelters. He is also a member of the finance committee and a future RA! Everett’s favorite COAR event is Engage with the Earth.
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia
Eva Milby is a sophomore majoring in environmental science with a minor in business. Eva is a co-leader of the Green Crew for COAR and ultimately took on this role due to her passion for all things nature, especially projects that uplift and protect the natural environment. In Eva’s free time, she enjoys hiking with friends, attending concerts, and going for runs! Eva’s favorite COAR event is Engage with the Earth.
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Merritt Scherer is a senior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Sustainability. She enjoys composting as it is a great way to utilize resources that would otherwise become harmful waste in landfills. This allows her and others to give back to our community through composted material! In her free time, she enjoys exercising, engaging in various art forms such as photography, collage, and drawing, and also spending time with her cats! She is also a member of the women’s rugby team here on campus! Her favorite COAR event is Engage with the Earth Day.
Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia
— Charter Senior Living —
Chloe Mahanes is a sophomore majoring in Biology. She enjoys volunteering at Charter Senior Living because it gives her the opportunity to connect with others and build meaningful relationships, especially with seniors who may often feel overlooked or forgotten. It is incredibly rewarding to bring social interaction into their lives, while also being a refreshing escape from college life. In her free time, Chloe enjoys being outdoors doing things like gardening, running, and hiking with her dogs! Her favorite COAR event is Into the Streets.
Hometown: Ruther Glen, Virginia
— Helping Hands —
Aliya Ather is a sophomore double-majoring in Physics and Chemistry on a pre-med track. She enjoys working with Helping Hands as it allows her to help out the local community through making fun arts and crafts. In her free time, she likes to make art, read and bake! Her favorite COAR event is the Head Start Gift Wrapping Party!
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Julia Franck is a junior majoring in International Affairs. She co-leads Helping Hands because she wants to make sure service opportunities are available to everyone on campus. In her free time she enjoys sewing, painting, and hiking! Her favorite COAR event is Engage with the Earth Day!
Hometown: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
