Shenandoah University presented the 2026 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards to two recent graduates and a staff member in recognition of their service to others during the university’s end-of-year awards ceremonies in May.

Recent graduates Amy Oleksy ’26 and Dylan Hill ’26 as well as Elizabeth Albert ’00, director of patron services and engagement for Shenandoah Conservatory and managing director of Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, were Shenandoah’s recipients of this year’s Sullivan Awards, which are presented annually to individuals at over 70 colleges and universities nationwide.

Created in 1890, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan Awards recognize college students and members of the college community with “noble character and hearts of a humble servant who place service before self-interest,” according to the Sullivan Foundation’s website. According to the foundation, the Sullivan Awards are the only national collegiate service award in the U.S.

Amy Oleksy

Oleksy graduated in May 2026, with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminal justice and criminology. A four-year member of Shenandoah’s cross country and track and field programs, she served as a First-Year Seminar (FYS) mentor, was the director of communications on the Student Government Association’s 2025-26 Executive Council, and frequently volunteered in the Winchester community.

“She is trustworthy and honest in every part of her life. Her work ethic is impeccable and she inspires others to be the best they can be,” Oleksy’s nominator wrote. “In her daily life she strives to ennoble and beautify living. She is never afraid to learn something new or look at something from a new perspective. These skills were very valuable to her in her work as an FYS mentor, and our first-year students benefited greatly from having her mentor them. Amy’s most notable qualities, however, are the ones that demonstrate her investment in the well-being of others.”

Oleksy’s desire to serve as an FYS mentor, her nominator wrote, stemmed from her belief that her fellow students deserved the support and encouragement needed in order to be successful. In that role, Oleksy showed the ability to connect with students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, according to her nominator, and went to great lengths to help them find a sense of belonging on campus.

Oleksy’s “exceptional” community service included volunteering as a coach for Girls on the Run Shenandoah Valley and at a weekly program at a local church where adults can learn English, among others throughout her four years at Shenandoah, her nominator wrote.

“Seeing her representing SU out in the Winchester community made me very proud. Her community service highlights the true service-minded nature of our SU community,” wrote Oleksy’s nominator. “To me, Amy is an amazing example of a person who is invested in serving others, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.”

Dylan Hill

Hill graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in May 2026. An “outstanding” student who volunteered his time to his cohort, wrote a nominator, Hill served as president of the Nurses Christian Fellowship and vice president of the the Student Nurses Association at Shenandoah, and participated in a Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic, which provides free medical services to those in need. Hill also served as a nursing mentor and had the highest GPA in his graduating class, according to his nominator.

“Dylan actively devotes his time to students and patients in need, but Dylan’s ability as the NCF president helps to provide an environment where students can come together for fellowship and help others to feel safe and spend time together. I cannot say enough about Dylan and the amazing person he is and the nurse he will become,” Hill’s nominator wrote.

Hill’s nominator described him as a “caring, kind, sincere and dedicated” individual who is committed to his fellow students, the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing, and the community, and as a “quiet and compassionate” person who “does so much for everyone around him.”

“He is a mentor and a leader in all that he does,” Hill’s nominator wrote.

Liz Albert

Albert is a Shenandoah graduate who joined the staff at Shenandoah Conservatory and the leadership team at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre in 2014. She has been involved in the conservatory’s Being Well Together initiative since its inception in 2019, serving as the committee’s chair and/or co-chair for several years and working “tirelessly to support the well-being of conservatory students, staff and faculty,” according to Albert’s nominator.

Her nominator added that Albert’s recent and ongoing initiatives as part of Being Well Together include food pantries and menstrual products, wellness fairs, gatherings and town hall-style meetings.

“Liz is a compassionate and kind person whose words and actions support an inclusive culture and value each individual’s well-being,” Albert’s nominator wrote. “Shenandoah is a better place because of Liz!”