University of Scranton Honors Bensalem Native

In 2011, Bensalem native Lindsay Ward spent a week in Haiti as part of an International Service Program organized through the University of Scranton, where she is a marketing and management major.

Her team was involved with helping a village build new houses for its people. One day, she attended a town meeting to watch the discussion between the native laborers and the contractors and engineers sent by the United States over where to build the school.

When it was over, Ward went for a walk through the village with a woman who wanted to show Ward her home. It had rained hard the night before, and Ward's sneakers were already caked with mud, forcing her to use flip flops for the walking tour. When they approached a stretch of road that was heavily encased in mud, the woman guide stopped Ward, bent down and rolled up her pant legs so she could get through the neighborhood.

"It was such a humbling experience for me," said Ward. "She just really wanted me to see where she lived."

It was the small moments like this, captured in-between the big moments Ward experienced as an active member of the University of Scranton's global community outreach programs, that fed her desire to help people around the world. She also led a team of volunteers to build homes in El Salvador and taught leadership, communication and entrepreneurship to female students in Rwanda.

Ward's dedication to community service helped get her named this year's female co-recipient of the University of Scranton's Father Fitzpatrick Award. The award is named in honor of the late Reverend John J. Fitzpatrick, a long-time friend and counselor of the school's student-athletes.

"In high school I did some tutoring and other small service projects," said Ward. "It wasn't until college that I did anything on such a big scale. I got involved right away."

An accomplished tennis player, Ward is a member of two women’s tennis teams at Scranton that won Landmark Conference titles and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament twice under head coach Liz Sherman. 

Ward has also used her extensive business background to serve as president of the Omega Beta Sigma Women’s Business Honor Society, attend meetings of the Business Club, and serve as orientation assistant for two years.  Since 2007, she has been actively involved with the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Program, a global community of youth and volunteers dedicated to leadership service, and innovation.