Honorable Mention Winner
April Gillespie
University of Tampa
Senior in Accounting
4.0 GPA

Every organization April Gillespie touches turns to gold. The University of Tampa accounting student has successfully revamped and improved every group she has taken under her wing.

It began with the Residence Hall Association. Gillespie, 22, started as a Hall Council treasurer and was elected RHA president the following year. Prior to her term in office, RHA was lacking in infrastructure, with only two people on the executive board and just two active hall councils. By getting more councils interested and motivated, Gillespie created a full executive board. She started a benefit program for executive members to qualify for early housing selection and created a food committee to work with dining services for residents.

RHA’s dramatic improvements earned the campus’ “Most Improved Organization” title, and Gillespie was elected for another term. She implemented a hall smoking policy while serving as associate director of finance for Florida Association of Residence Halls. “We had hall councils putting on fantastic programs, handled recycling and common damage issues, and continued our involvement with dining services,” she says. “We were becoming the voice of the residents.” That year, RHA moved up to become UT’s “Organization of the Year.”

With RHA running smoothly, Gillespie took a stab at Student Government, scoring yet another presidential role and creating a student-friendly platform. “We are making strides to change our image,” she says. “We’ve established ourselves as a ‘Source of Service’ and continue to promote our motto around campus.” Gillespie expanded SG’s participation to four new committees and worked on constitutional revisions, also attending Board of Trustees meetings to solidify the organization’s leadership role.

Not surprisingly, Gillespie’s leadership has brought her numerous awards and campus recognition: She was chosen as UT’s 2003 homecoming queen and designated as The Wall Street Journal’s Student of the Year. Her 4.0 GPA has garnered Dean’s List recognition as well as membership in several Greek honor societies, including Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honors Fraternity. Gillespie is also the recipient of several scholarships, including the Florida Institute of CPA’s Scholarship, the Florida Automotive Trade Association Scholarship, and the University of Tampa Presidential Scholarship.

On top of her many leadership commitments, Gillespie is wasting no time putting her financial skills to use and gaining vital job experience. She works as an administrative assistant at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she uses travel software for voucher preparation and inputs payment information. Gillespie also works for Direct Hit Marketing, where she tracks financial statistics and information.

Community service endeavors round out this Sigma Delta Tau sorority assistant treasurer’s resume of involvement. She volunteers weekly at VITA Tax, preparing taxes for low-income families. “VITA is where I feel I’ve impacted my community the most,” Gillespie says. “It was amazing to be a part of such a good program and to watch individuals who are struggling receive the appropriate funds.” In addition, Gillespie has been a peer facilitator for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and the Into the Streets project and has participated in Sleep Out for the Homeless and the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. “When April is not ‘on the clock,’ she’s always thinking of others,” says Stephanie Russell Holz, assistant dean of students. “We had a catered dinner during orientation, and a lot of food was left over. April approached me to see if we could donate it to a shelter.”

The majority of Gillespie’s tuition, room, and board is covered by scholarships, with a student loan providing the rest. She pays for additional living expenses through her work salary. –LD

Contact Gillespie at agillespie@ut.edu.