WASHINGTON – A Tusculum University alumna who played an instrumental role in voter registration activities and education about the U.S. Constitution has earned an award from a national organization.
Valentina Loretz celebrates her graduation from Tusculum.
Valentina Loretz, who graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in political science, has been named to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s 2025 Student Voting Honor Roll. She was one of 232 students nationwide.
“We are extraordinarily proud of Valentina for her extensive work on campus promoting nonpartisan political engagement,” said Dr. Shelby Ward, assistant professor of political science at Tusculum. “She represented our university’s commitment to civic engagement exceptionally and was a key reason for our success with several initiatives. Valentina’s work is an example of the kind of opportunities that students have to get involved in national democracy initiatives and to start building their professional portfolios.”
ALL IN’s Student Voting Honor Roll recognizes college students at participating campuses who have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout efforts in their communities. Loretz said she was honored and grateful for her selection.
“It’s humbling to know that the work I’ve done to promote civic engagement and voter education has had an impact,” she said. “This recognition is not just personal. It reflects the collective efforts of everyone who supported student democracy initiatives at Tusculum.
“This honor is meaningful to me because it validates the importance of civic education and student participation in democracy. As a political science student and now a legislative clerk, I’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to educate and empower young people to be active in the political process. Being recognized for helping to increase civic awareness among students reinforces my commitment to public service and civic engagement.”
When she was a Tusculum student, Loretz served as an intern for the university’s Center for Civic Advancement’s ALL-IN Democracy Challenge’s national initiatives. She worked on activities to support voter registration, educate students about the U.S. Constitution and encourage democratic participation at Tusculum.
Loretz was particularly helpful with the university’s celebration of Constitution Day and Voter Registration Day events, both of which were held in September and were part of broader civic holiday programming. She created flyers, wrote social media posts and prepared blurbs that could be circulated through on-campus communications channels. She also created interactive and educational games for Constitution Day to make learning about that document engaging and accessible.
Tusculum students engage in a Constitution Day activity. Valentina Loretz created interactive and educational games for that event.
Tusculum students participate in a voter registration activity that Valentina Loretz helped make possible.
In addition, Loretz helped prepare the volunteers for these two events by selecting the information and training materials that were provided for them. She also researched and developed informational material on presidential and congressional candidates for the 2024 election, including their policy positions, especially on environmental issues. These materials were distributed to faculty members across campus to share with their students, helping to raise awareness and encourage informed voting.
The university had more in-person activities planned for fall 2024, but those had to be canceled due to Hurricane Helene. Loretz helped the university modify the approach by designing additional social media graphics and posts to help support voter education and civic engagement efforts that focused on deadlines and essential steps in the voting process.
“Valentina’s excellent performance contributed to a more informed student body and increased the number of voters,” Dr. Ward said. “Her work indicated a clear ability to balance deadlines in addition to the responsibilities that she held as a student-athlete. These skills will serve her well as she takes the next step in her career.”
These days, Loretz serves as a legislative clerk with the Tennessee General Assembly. She helps maintain official records of legislative proceedings, including tracking bills, resolutions and ordinances as they move through the legislative process. She also assists with procedural compliance during the legislative session, tracks votes, files documents and is present for committee and subcommittee meetings.
“I landed this role through my academic and civic involvement while at Tusculum, including my internship experiences and my work with student civic initiatives,” Loretz said. “These opportunities gave me a strong foundation in public policy, government operations and civic engagement, which prepared me well for this position.
“I continue to support civic engagement in my current role with the Tennessee General Assembly. While my work is now at the state level, I still carry the same passion for encouraging public participation in government. I also remain engaged with my community and look for ways to support civic education initiatives outside of work.”
The recognition for Loretz comes just two weeks after Tusculum was tabbed a Voter Friendly Campus for 2025-2026. The Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project and the LEAD initiative on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement of NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, picked Tusculum for the honor.
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.