NIU President John La Tourette and a General Motors representative will honor three students for outstanding volunteer spirit at a reception Thursday at the Holmes Student Center’s Sky Room.

An independent committee of students and staff members have chosen three winners for this year’s GM Spirit Award.

The winners chosen were Dawn Cater, Virginia Garcia and Jennifer Spaulding.

NIU GM Spirit Award Coordinator Fabian De Rozario said he felt “all of the applicants were qualified,” but the three winners were chosen because of their “intensity.”

Cater has worked as a resident assistant and as a resident hall senior staff member. She has spoken on leadership for the Panhellenic Council and University Programming and Activities.

Cater also has been a hospital volunteer as well as a volunteer for Hope Haven, DeKalb’s homeless shelter. She also started the Friendly Visitor Program.

She said someone could learn from voluntarism, but it is not something someone should do to develop a resume.

Garcia has been involved with The Latino Organization Avante. She also is a member of the Organization for Latin American Students and the Minority Student Organization. She was the founding Alpha Sigma Lambda president.

Spaulding has been involved in the president’s See Review Team, the committee for undergraduate academics and the National Hispanic Month Committee.

Currently, she is the Campus Activities Board president. She said she feels awards like the GM Spirit Award “serve as a reminder that what you do is appreciated.”