Paražinskaite Named to Southeastern Conference Community Service Team
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Redshirt-junior Akvile Paražinskaite was selected to the 2019 Southeastern Conference Community Service Team on Thursday, receiving recognition for her accomplishments beyond the tennis courts. It marks the second straight season Paražinskaite has been selected, becoming only the second women’s tennis player in program history to have been recognized two times in a stint.
In four years, Paražinskaite has quickly impacted the Lexington community. The University of Kentucky took note in January 2019, when Paražinskaite received the Frank G. Ham Society of Character Award, which recognizes student-athletes who are committed to academic excellence, community service and career preparation.
Paražinskaite packs food-filled backpacks through the UK Athletics/God’s Pantry Backpack Program to benefit underprivileged children on weeknights and weekends. She also volunteered for the Louisiana Flood Relief Drive. Moreover, she has spent her time off in the winters by ringing the Salvation Army bell for the “Red Kettle Campaign,” serving meals at God’s Pantry and volunteering at Breakfast with Santa, an annual event to raise funds for Daniel’s Care, the children’s division of Hospice of the Bluegrass.
Notable of Paražinskaite, she volunteered for a community-wide Jesus Prom, hosted by Southland Christian Church in Lexington. There, Paražinskaite sponsored an individual with special needs by escorting them to Jesus Prom. Closer to campus, Paražinskaite is a part of Cats Cultivating Character, a group of UK student-athletes who teach lessons on character to students in the community each month.
Paražinskaite aims to land a career with an international organization dealing with matters of foreign policy and diplomacy, while also serving nonprofit non-governmental organizations. In pursuit of that dream, in March the redshirt-junior was accepted into the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Graduate Program.
Meanwhile, Paražinskaite and UK partner Justina Mikulskyte make up the 17th-ranked doubles duo in the ITA/Oracle Top 80, upsetting the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles pairs this season. The duo is 7-2 in the conference and is remarkably 7-0 against nationally-ranked doubles teams this season.
Her collegiate honors include being named a 2016 ITA Scholar-Athlete, 2017 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll, 2018 and 2019 SEC Community Serve Team member, named SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 17, 2016, and a 2019 Frank G. Ham Society of Character recipient.
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