The recipient of Guilford’s first Ethical Leadership Award might be a familiar face to many. It wasn’t too long ago that Alyzza May ’10 was roaming the campus, working to bring students together and acting as a watchdog to ensure the College was aligned with its Quaker values.

On Saturday, Feb. 10, Alyzza was back on campus to receive the award for doing that same watchdog work in the Greensboro community. “It’s a great honor to receive this recognition” Alyzza says. “Knowing where this award is coming from and what Guilford means to me makes it even a little more special.”

Alyzza has spent the past 14 years helping raise funds for community groups and social movements in Greensboro. They've worked with Greensboro Mutual Aid, which helped families and individuals who lost their jobs during the pandemic; the Greensboro Mural Project, which creates community inspired murals across the city; and Press On, a journalism group which produces activist journalism throughout the South.

Alyzza thinks of themselves as a “cultural organizer,” someone who embraces cultural activities and art as an entry point for working with and engaging others. “I’m always thinking from that frame first when I want to tackle something,” they say.

Alyzza grew up in New Bedford, Mass., and was active in social movements from an early age. They organized their first protest when they were 14 to denounce the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

A Bonner Scholar at Guilford, they credit James Shields ’00, the former director of the Bonner Center, and the work of the center for helping them grow into the work they do today.

“Guilford allowed me the space to experiment, to try, and to also mess up,” Alyzza says. “That’s important because you learn from your mistakes. I definitely learned how to run an organization at Guilford.”

Alyzza had an academic focus on Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology and Anthropology and Religious Studies at the College.

More than 50 Guilford students attended the Ethical Leadership Spring Summit, learning how to connect with others, deal with conflict and find their purpose in their own community.