Samiksha Deme, one of Sewa International’s AmeriCorps team members, was honored with the National Service “Make a Difference” Award by First Lady Cecilia Abbott, the Honorary Chair of the Governor’s Volunteer Awards. This award, presented by OneStar Foundation, recognizes individuals, groups, and organizations that have made a significant contribution to Texas communities through service in the past year.

Samiksha Deme (Sami) joined Sewa International’s Disaster Preparedness Group as an AmeriCorps Outreach Specialist. Her work is transforming crucially needed disaster preparedness training within underserved and often marginalized individuals, encouraging them to take an active role in their community. With her educational knowledge and skills in environmental science, Sami’s preparedness is centered around environmental justice, healthcare equity, and the crossroads between natural and human-caused disasters.

Even outside her service responsibilities, Sami takes on several other volunteer projects, from vaccine clinics to clothing drives for Afghan refugees to personal essential drives for the homeless. She truly embodies the essence of sewa -- selfless service to humanity.

Sewa International congratulates Samiksha and thanks all the Houston Chapter AmeriCorps stakeholders and mentors for taking this program to a new level as it continues to progress through these community outreach efforts.