On the floor, sophomore gymnast Grace McLaughlin sets the tone.
This season, the Allen, Texas, native has found her niche as the leadoff performer for Florida’s third-ranked floor unit, paving the way for others to follow her path.
In her community, she operates in much the same capacity.
On Tuesday, McLaughlin received Florida’s Presidential Service Award, an accolade bestowed upon students who actively give back to their community through volunteer service.
"I’m absolutely blessed to even have the honor of that," McLaughlin said. "I really love helping the community and going out."
The recognition comes after she was named to the Southeastern Conference’s Community Service Team on March 18.
A passing glance at her résumé reveals just why she was selected.
Since the beginning of the school year, McLaughlin has logged over 225 service hours, assisting at the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, the gymnastics team’s yearly Harvest Food Drive, the university-sponsored Climb For Cancer and UF Health’s Caleb’s Pitch Syringe Art Painting event, among other functions.
Perhaps her most impactful experiences, though, were the more than 160 hours she clocked as a volunteer with the Florida Diabetes Camp.
"It was probably the most amazing experience of my life," she said. "I love kids, and the camp is focused around centering (activities) for kids that have Type-1 Diabetes and providing a safe environment for them."
Her passion for working with children shone through in her daily responsibilities at the camp, where she readily assisted her campers with their medical needs and led them in an assortment of activities.
"It’s out in Deland (Florida), (on) Lake Winona, so we do canoeing, rock climbing, archery, and all this other stuff, just like naturey stuff. They love swimming," McLaughlin said.
"I think it’s just a great environment for them. I gave 11 girls in my cabin a summer they wouldn’t forget, and that was kinda something that I wanted to do."
Juggling school, sports and service is no easy feat. But for McLaughlin, the feeling of helping those in need justifies the sacrifice.
"For me, volunteering is something I do from my heart," she said. "Getting recognition for it is also really awesome, and I hope that I can influence other people to do the same things that I’m doing.
"It’s kinda like, I can do it as an athlete, but I can also do it as a person. And that’s very important for me."
Contact Alejandro Lopez at alopez@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ajlb95.
Grace McLaughlin performs her floor routine during Florida's win over North Carolina on March 11, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
