SCC Honors Two 2026 Distinguished Service Award Recipients

Sacramento City College is proud to announce the 2026 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipients: Mavi Tarnate and Athena Jane Godin. These two exceptional students represent the heart of SCC's mission — not just pursuing their own educational and professional goals, but lifting others up in the process.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes SCC students who, while maintaining academic excellence and managing significant personal or professional responsibilities, have made outstanding contributions to the college community and beyond. 

Mavi Tarnate: From Scarcity to Abundance

Mavi Tarnate arrived at SCC from the Philippines with a dream and a toolkit forged by her family's resilience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her family's dairy farm pivoted to direct household sales—a move that taught Mavi a crucial lesson: 'The most fragile opportunities become the most powerful when someone recognizes them early.'

Today, as an economics major with a 3.79 GPA (earned at De La Salle University in the Philippines, where she was in the top 8 of 687 students), Mavi carries that lesson into every role she takes on at SCC.

Working two campus jobs—as a PantherCares Center tutor and a Student Distance Education Advisor at COLT—while enrolled in six units and serving as a Student Senator, Mavi balances an extraordinary load without losing sight of why she's here.

Beyond her official roles, Mavi leads the Business Society Club, volunteers with APIC, and is active in CalFresh advocacy. She's preparing to transfer in fall 2026 to pursue a degree in venture capital, carrying with her the conviction that abundance is created when people recognize and nurture opportunity for each other.

My journey began with recognizing opportunity in scarcity, and my goal is to one day create abundance where it once seemed impossible.

— Mavi Tarnate, 2026 DSA Recipient

Athena Jane Godin: A Nurse Who Listens 

Athena Jane Godin will graduate this spring as a Registered Nurse, but her impact on SCC extends far beyond her clinical rotations at UC Davis Hospital's Surgical ICU (Trauma 1). As a first-generation college graduate, DSPS participant, and CNA-trained volunteer, Athena Jane has spent her time at SCC not just preparing for her own career, but making sure no classmate feels alone on the journey.

Working toward her NCLEX while managing a full course load and her role as an organizing member of the National Student Nurses' Association, Athena also volunteers at a local care center and has been a youth ministry leader at her church for three years, where she guides First Communion retreats. She tutors her peers, shows up for her family of six (her mother stepped away from work to care for her younger sister.

What makes Athena’s service stand out is her philosophy: she doesn't just *do* for others—she *sees* them. Every patient, every student, every person she encounters gets her full attention and her genuine curiosity about their whole story, not just their symptoms or struggles.

The more I help people, the more interested I become in truly understanding them as a whole — not just their symptoms, but their stories.

— Athena Jane Godin, 2026 DSA Recipient

Looking Ahead

Mavi will transfer to a four-year institution this fall to pursue her venture capital degree. Athena Jane will walk across the stage this spring as an RN and begin her RN-to-BSN program at Sac State, with her sights set on ICU/trauma nursing.

Both will carry the lessons they learned at SCC—and the people they helped along the way—into their next chapters. And both serve as reminders to our college community: you don't have to wait until you've reached your goal to start lifting others toward theirs.
Congratulations, Mavi and Athena Jane. We can't wait to see the abundance you create and the patients whose whole stories you'll honor. 

About the Distinguished Service Award

SCC's Distinguished Service Award honors students who embody excellence in service while managing significant academic, professional, and personal responsibilities. The award was established to recognize that the work of community building is often done by students who balance extraordinary loads—working through their own challenges while showing up fully for others. DSA recipients are nominated by faculty, staff, and peers, and selections are made by a committee that considers both impact and demonstrated integrity.

Applications for the 2027 Distinguished Service Award will open January 15, 2027. If you know a student who embodies service, integrity, and community commitment, consider nominating them.