Shayne Simmons began volunteering in college. Service and sustainability are now part of his life’s mission.
The late Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, issued in 2015, includes seven goals. Among them is “ecological spirituality and community involvement and participation.” It’s a goal embodied by Shayne Simmons ’24/M.P.A. ’25, one of four students to receive Seton Hall’s 2025 Servant Leader Award.
As a graduate student in the school’s public administration program with a focus on nonprofit management, Simmons often noticed lines of people at the local food bank as he walked to campus. As a member of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, Simmons believed there was a way to match this need with student volunteerism, leading to the formation of the campus Sustainability Club. The club’s first big action was forming a partnership with local nonprofit Table to Table, New Jersey’s largest food rescue organization. But that was just the start.
“The Sustainability Club applies to environmental issues and social sustainability, and it can involve political, charitable or business entities,” said Simmons. “Really, any way that students can help provide sustainability is a fit.”
With Table to Table, Simmons and the club spearheaded a campus-wide reduction in food waste, funneling unused food from the dining halls and around campus to the organization. “We collected food that would have been discarded and got it out to food pantries via volunteer drivers,” he explained. “We estimated that the cafeterias throw out about 200 pounds of food every day.”
Student and faculty volunteers coordinated these efforts every other Friday. Simmons estimates that in one year, they saved more than 1,000 pounds of food from going to waste. Seeing the impact he could have there, Simmons turned his thoughts to other ways he could spark sustainability at Seton Hall.
One project involved the addition of a campus biodigester, a machine that composts food waste. After 24 hours, the biodigester produces a nutrient-rich soil additive that volunteers can distribute to the urban garden plots around campus, another project Simmons helped create.
It might not come as a surprise that Simmons doesn’t sit still for long. He also was a standout on the school’s swim and dive team, working his way into the finals at the 2025 Big East Championships in both breaststroke and individual medley.
Following graduation last spring, Simmons continued investing time in sustainability and volunteerism. “Over the summer, I worked on a project in Newark creating an urban farm that provided local, fresh produce in areas with little access to it otherwise,” he said.
Simmons’ swimming career and service work have combined in his new career as aquatic director for a new boys and girls club in his home state of Connecticut. “I plan to make a career out of service,” he said. “I realized that my most fulfilling time has been spent helping others. It’s a feeling I love.”
Simmons credits his time at Seton Hall for inspiring him in this direction. “I was surrounded by professors and staff who were receptive to my ideas,” he said. “I wouldn’t have accomplished this work on my own.”
He has a stack of medals and awards from his swimming career, all of which are meaningful to him. But there was something special about his Service Leader Award, he said.
“For the longest time, I came from the perspective that athletics were my priority,” he explained. “Seton Hall made me realize that academics and what I do outside my athletic career matter. College was my first opportunity to make a small difference, and that’s more rewarding than any award I’ve received as an athlete.”
Amanda Loudin is a Maryland-based freelance writer.
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