Vanderbilt University announced on April 30 that student-athletes Sonya Macavei and Mustafa Dannett have been selected as the university’s nominees for the Southeastern Conference’s Brad Davis Community Service Award.
The nomination highlights the contributions of student-athletes to their communities, with winners receiving a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship from the Southeastern Conference. The male and female Community Service Leaders of the Year will be named later in May, each earning a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC.
Macavei has served as president of Vanderbilt’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and co-chair of its social impact committee. She has volunteered regularly at Jones Paideia Elementary School for more than two years, participated in multiple Anchorthon Big Events since 2024, and took part in Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Book Buddies event in January. Macavei has also helped organize and participate in SAAC Holiday Parties at Jones Paideia Elementary School over three holiday seasons, contributed to food drives with Second Harvest, assisted at West End Neighborhood Halloween Celebrations, and taken part in several “Love Serving Autism” tennis clinics.
According to Vanderbilt University, Macavei has been recognized on both the SEC Community Service Team and Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll during each of the last two seasons. She is expected to graduate next week with a degree in human & organizational development.
The broader significance of these nominations lies in recognizing how student-athletes contribute beyond sports through sustained volunteer work. The upcoming announcement of Community Service Leaders of the Year will further spotlight such efforts within collegiate athletics.
