Herzing Graduate Audrey Gardner Receives GREAT Award

WASHINGTON - The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) announced on March 11, 2013 that Audrey Gardner of Atlanta, Georgia will be a 2013 recipient of the GREAT (Graduate Recognition for Excellence, Achievement, and Talent) Award.  APSCU’s GREAT Award honors recent graduates of private sector colleges and universities who have excelled academically and overcome great odds to achieve their educational dreams.

While a student at Herzing University, Gardner founded a non-profit, Youth Action Without Borders, that serves to educate, clothe, and share farming techniques with children in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.  Gardner is the first U.S. citizen to hold the title of Goodwill Ambassador for the Croix-Rouge Red Cross organization.

Gardner is the first U.S. citizen to hold the title of Goodwill Ambassador for the Croix-Rouge Senegalaise Red Cross and receive the Humanity Award Croix-Rouge Senegalaise Temoignage DE Reconnaissance. 

“It's an honor to be receiving this award,” said Audrey Gardner.  “My education from Herzing University provided me the tools to manage my non-profit more effectively.  And the flexibility to take my classes online allowed me to travel and work overseas uninterrupted.”

Gardner graduated from Herzing University in December 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

“Audrey’s hard work, dedication and success are an inspiration,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of APSCU. “We are proud that our schools offer students, like Audrey, the educational opportunities to further their careers, particularly with such a noble cause.”

Gardner is one of six 2013 GREAT Award recipients. She attended a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in March where she was presented the award. Read Ms. Gardner's nomination