Nico Starcher recognized as 2021 Youth Governor’s Volunteer Star for Blount County
Jan. 19, 2022
Maryville College senior Nico Starcher ’22 has been named the 2021 Youth Governor’s Volunteer Star for Blount County for his contributions to Rockford Elementary School.
Starcher, a management major from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be honored at the Governor’s Volunteer Star Awards (GVSA) ceremony on Feb. 13 in Franklin, Tennessee. The GVSA is an initiative from Volunteer Tennessee that recognizes outstanding volunteers from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties. With the program now in its 14th year, participating counties conduct a call for nominations and recognize one outstanding youth and one outstanding adult winner.
Starcher is a part of the Bonner Scholar program at Maryville College, which gives students with a passion for service and social justice the opportunity to further explore these themes while attending MC. As a Bonner Scholar, he receives a scholarship and is required to serve at a non-profit organization for 10 hours each week during the academic year and complete 280 hours of service during two summers.
Since his first year in 2018, Starcher has volunteered as a kindergarten assistant at Blount County’s Rockford Elementary, logging more than 500 volunteer hours in daily activities such as programming, lesson planning, reading and student supervision. On campus, Starcher has played linebacker with the MC Scots football team and served as both a Resident Advisor and a member of the Student Conduct Board.
“While the work that Nico is doing may seem pretty simple and straightforward, what is impressive about his service is how consistently he has done it,” wrote Ryan Indelicato ’17, Bonner Program coordinator at MC, in Starcher’s nomination letter. “Because he has remained at Rockford for the duration of his time at MC, Nico has been able to build relationships with the teachers and students alike … we regularly receive positive feedback from his supervisors, who claim that ‘Nico has a heart for children and has helped the students in the classroom in so many ways.’”
“Nico is working primarily with kindergarten students, meaning that he is a part of their initial exposure to the public education system,” Indelicato added. “The impact that Nico has on his students follows them through the rest of their academic careers.”
After graduating in May, Starcher plans to return to Charlotte to pursue a career in financial and wealth management, with a long-term goal of one day establishing his own company in the fitness industry — and continuing to look for ways to give back to the community. Recent Volunteer Stars from Maryville College include Anya Dunn ’21, Remington Green ’21, and Tiffany Hursh ’19.