The AmeriCorps agency, in coordination with the White House, paused the Presidential Volunteer Service Award program on Tuesday — suspending all award distribution and leaving students, schools and service organizations without a key form of recognition — prompting confusion and disappointment at Palo Alto High School, where students have collectively logged tens of thousands of service hours.
The PVSA is a national honor that has recognized Americans of all ages for their volunteer service and civic participation since 2003. The PVSA offers bronze, silver and gold awards based on the number of volunteer hours completed within a 12-month period, with requirements varying by age group.
College advisor Sandra Cernobori said the PVSA serves as a meaningful way to acknowledge students who are deeply committed to community service.
“I do think for some students, the PVSA was really nice to be recognized for their dedication to service,” Cernobori said.
According to Cernobori, the PVSA pause might affect students who were primarily motivated by the prospect of earning a national award — some of whom may now lose motivation to continue volunteering, which could impact the community organizations that rely on student volunteers.
“I would hope that students are genuinely motivated to get involved in the community and give back, but those who were motivated to earn a national award, perhaps it [the PVSA pause] will affect their drive,” Cernobori said.
Junior Simone Batra, president of Connect2Volunteer, said Connect2Volunteer promoted the PVSA as an accessible way for students to earn recognition while pursuing meaningful volunteer work. Connect2Volunteer aims to bridge the gap between affluent and underprivileged youth by providing information on volunteer and internship opportunities, the college process and more — partnering with centers in East Palo Alto and career specialists at the school.
“The PVSA is an award we focused on securing for Connect2Volunteer attendees through our volunteer and internship opportunity presentations,” Batra said. “We promote this award because it is free — students can spend hours pursuing their passion in the form of volunteer work to become an award recipient.”
According to Batra, students should volunteer out of genuine passion, viewing the PVSA as a byproduct rather than the main goal.
“I encourage high school students only to pursue an opportunity provided by Connect2Volunteer only if they are truly passionate about it — not just to pad a college application,” Batra said. “In the same way, I find that many high-school volunteers truly believe in the work that they do instead of pursuing volunteer awards to pad their college applications. In fact, these volunteers consider the PVSA as simply a byproduct and marker of the amount of work they’ve put in.”
Batra said that while the PVSA can be motivating, genuine impact and dedication to service matter more than receiving an award.
“It is true that, with the pause on the PVSA program, the formal indicator demonstrating the amount of time students have put into their volunteer work has been discounted,” Batra said. “Receiving the PVSA is incentivizing. Still, it bears little fruit in comparison to the impact and passion a student has for their volunteer work. Showing off your extent of involvement, in addition to evidence that you made a difference, is ultimately more important than an award.”
According to sophomore Tanisha Pilapakam, she had been actively working toward meeting the PVSA hours requirement and felt frustrated by the program’s abrupt pause.
“I wanted to try and get the PVSA, so I was doing some service to hit the hours requirement for this award, so I’m pretty upset that we can’t earn the award anymore,” Pilapakam said.
Pilapakam said the PVSA pause left her feeling disheartened, as she had invested significant time volunteering through school clubs with the hope of being recognized.
“I spent a good number of lunches going to community service clubs to earn some hours, but now that the PVSA has been paused, I feel like I did all of it for no credit,” Pilapakam said. “I put in a lot of time and effort into my service and I was really looking forward to earning the PVSA, so I’m pretty disappointed.”
Sophomore Kai Bunger-Tang, president of Paly YCS-Interact Club, said he was surprised by the PVSA pause and emphasized its role in motivating and recognizing committed student volunteers.
“I was surprised,” Bunger-Tang said. “I couldn’t find any clear reason for why the program was paused, even after searching online. PVSA is a powerful motivator for students to volunteer, and it’s a well-deserved recognition for those who have dedicated significant time to community service.”
According to Bunger-Tang, the PVSA motivated him to volunteer more, giving him a meaningful goal and rewarding experiences along the way.
“The PVSA award definitely motivated me to spend more time doing community service,” Bunger-Tang said. “It gave me a fun and meaningful goal to work toward. Along the way, I made new friends while volunteering at local organizations and events, and it felt incredibly rewarding when I finally got my 100 hours.”
Bunger-Tang said he was disappointed by the PVSA pause but believes the value of community service goes far beyond the award itself.
“I’m definitely disappointed about it, and I think the pause will discourage a lot of people from volunteering,” Bunger-Tang said. “But I still believe community service is extremely valuable, even without the award. It gives you a greater sense of purpose, strengthens your connection to the community, and helps you build leadership skills and social awareness.”
Junior Ryan Leung, president of the Baylands Restoration Club, said the pause left him confused and disappointed, as he saw the PVSA as a meaningful way to recognize students’ dedication to community service.
“I feel confused as to why they [AmeriCorps] would pause it [PVSA program] and I hope that they can unpause it soon,” Leung said. “I feel that the PVSA shows one’s commitment to the community and bettering society.”
According to Leung, while the PVSA pause is disappointing, it hasn’t altered his motivation to volunteer, which stems from a genuine desire to support the community rather than earn recognition.
“When [PVSA] applications are open, I usually see if I have enough [community service] hours and then submit,” Leung said. “I never really volunteered for the PVSA. Although I am a little down that they [AmeriCorps] paused it, I will continue to volunteer as usual. I wasn’t really counting on the PVSA for college applications or resumes, as I feel the true purpose of volunteering is to help the community, not earn awards. I feel like my service is still being recognized by those I help directly and indirectly. The PVSA is just there to standardize and have a written record of service.”
Sophomore Aina Arnquist, vice president of Paly YCS-Interact Club, said the PVSA provided a valuable way for students to be recognized for their efforts to improve the community.
“A lot of people spend a lot of time working towards making our community a better place, and the PVSA is a really good way that people are able to gain recognition for the work they do,” Arnquist said.
According to sophomore Alex Trounce, the PVSA is an award that could be beneficial for his college applications.
“Personally, I see it [PVSA] as something to help get me into colleges,” Trounce said.
Trounce said he does not plan to continue volunteering after earning the PVSA gold award, which was his main motivation for doing community service.
“I will not continue volunteering, as I already have the gold level [award],” Trounce said. “I may mention the PVSA in my college applications, as it was the entire reason I did it [community service].”
