Alex Koeppel, Hendrix College, Men's Swimming

Since joining the Hendrix swim team his sophomore year, Koeppel has become a swimmer and a teammate with a strong sense of responsibility to the team. He attempts to live up to that responsibility in everything he does, from his presence and performance in every single practice, to his sincere support and genuine caring for each individual on the team. Often, Koeppel is the last person to leave a meet or practice, staying behind to work on computer problems, moving supplies, or doing anything else to benefit the team.

Away from the pool, Koeppel has always had a strong sense of commitment and duty to his community. This orientation towards community service can be traced back to his high school years. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Koeppel devoted his time towards various volunteer projects and grass root organizations that benefited the community. He spent his summers volunteering fulltime at the local Habitat for Humanity as well as contributing any way he could to Save Darfur, One, or any of the dozen other campaigns and organizations in which he belonged.

Now a junior at Hendrix, Koeppel has found great pleasure in assisting his fellow peers through tutoring. Throughout his freshman and sophomore years, he spent free time tutoring classmates that needed help with learning new concepts and tackling assignments in various courses. This year, his desire and ability to assist others led him to become an official tutor for the department of Mathematics and Computer Science. As a tutor, he spends his nights in the lab helping others overcome their respective learning roadblocks. Through working side by side assisting his fellow students, Koeppel has derived an unparalleled sense of purpose. This has led him to take every opportunity he can to work extra shifts tutoring students.

Finally, he does his best to contribute to his new home, the city of Conway, Arkansas, where Hendrix College is located. Sometimes it’s the little things, such as spending a Saturday afternoon volunteering at the local library’s book drive, that provide the junior a feeling of making a difference. However, just because Koeppel has new communities which he calls his own doesn’t mean he has forgotten where he came from. Each break from school, he tries to stay involved in some sort of service project in Dallas. Be it working for the North Texas Food Bank or various other organizations across the Metroplex, Koeppel always tries to stay active in helping others back home.

Through service to the community, Koeppel finds a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and identity, which provide him with an immeasurable sense of satisfaction. "By helping my friends, family, and community, I help to define who I am and strengthen my perceptions of myself and identity," said Koeppel. "For these reasons I find community and the service to it such important aspects of my life."