Student honored for making a difference in children's lives

April 19, 2006

Miami University Hamilton student Scott Liebhaber recently received the President’s Distinguished Service Award for his work with children who are enrolled at the Living Water Ministries after school program.

According to his nominator Dr. Shelly Jarrett Bromberg, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Miami Hamilton, “Scott, who put in lots of “overtime” had a profound impact upon his young charges at Living Water. All three of the boys showed greatly improved scores in math and language at the end of winter term.”

In addition to his work in the after school program, Liebhaber also became involved with gift distribution at Su Casa in Cincinnati and supervising the children’s games at Cinco de Mayo at Living Waters. “Scott’s participation in these events underscored his dedication to the growing Latino/Hispanic communities but also to the notion of community involvement as a life-long commitment,” Bromberg said.

Liebhaber traveled beyond traditional borders to learn about CAFTA and the growing Guatemalan community in our area when he volunteered to teach English in the small village of Malacatán in San Marcos, Guatemala.

When he was called to duty in New Orleans as a member of the Reserves, Liebhaber was truly missed. Almost daily, the children asked when “Mr. Scotty” would return.

“Scott is an outstanding example of what we hope occurs with and for our students. He has taken his learning to a higher plane by sharing his knowledge and his compassion with many other communities,” Bromberg said.

Scott is one of 26 students at Miami University who received the award this spring.