Over the past four years, William Bruce has founded or participated in over a dozen community service programs, maintained a 3.8 GPA at Williams College and played varsity ice hockey.
"I try to manage my time efficiently," he said. "And I drink a lot of coffee."
Bruce, a Williams senior from Nashville, Tenn., has been named a finalist for the fourth annual Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award that is becoming "one of the most prestigious ... in sports," according to its Web site. The Wooden Cup is given to "a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others."
Bruce was nominated by Williams' sports information director Dick Quinn and hockey coach Bill Kangas. He was notified over Thanksgiving break that he had been selected as one of five student-athletes to be named a finalist for the award, which will be handed to the winner at a ceremony in Atlanta on Thursday.
"If you think about the fact that the award is co-ed and spans all three [collegiate] divisions, that's pretty impressive," Kangas said. "He's involved in everything and he's just passionate about people. He's what I would call a 'doer.'"
Bruce is in elite company, as the short list of professional athletes who have won the award includes the household names of Peyton Manning, John Smoltz and John Lynch. Yet despite the scope of his achievements, Bruce maintains that he's motivated by a basic desire to serve others.
"When I see people who haven't had some of the opportunities that maybe I've had, I see an inconsistency between that and the idea of human dignity," he said. "I think it's important to organize and allow people who work hard to prove their worth."
After high school, he played junior hockey for three years. During that time period, he stayed with working families and took note of their struggles.
"I stayed with a woman who was a single mother," he said. "She was a nurse and I saw the long hours she worked and how tired she was. She told me how she had to go on welfare for a while to support her daughter. It gave me an inside look at the challenges they face."
Bruce then enrolled at Williams, where he was motivated by the accomplishments of his fellow students to start organizing.
"At Williams I started organizing and creating as opposed to just participating, and I find organizing service activities to be stimulating and challenging," he said. "There was a learning curve, but I think I've sort of figured out of the process."
Some of his accomplishments include having founded and taught a Financial Education Class for low-income adults and children in North Adams, Mass., having organized and participated in a "Best Buddies" program for mentally disabled youth in the area, and having served as the co-president of the Lehman Council for Community Engagement at Williams, the umbrella organization for 30 student-run service programs.
The Wooden Cup also emphasizes the importance of setting a positive example for others. "Recipients of the award are considered role models and athletes of excellence both on and off the field," its Web site said.
"At the rink, Will is all about hockey, and he's able to separate himself from his other activities," Kangas said. "That type of balance is a great example for our kids. He also commands instant respect because he's the student chair of the disciplinary committee and because he's straight-up, honest and has a lot of integrity."
Following his graduation in June, Bruce plans to study overseas at The University of Oxford for two years on a fellowship from Williams. Then he plans to attend law school and pursue a career in public service.
"The breadth and scope of Will's community service activities [are] equaled only by his commitment to excellence in all that he does," Quinn wrote in his letter in support of Bruce's nomination. "Will is not the most talented hockey player on the team, but he is the hardest worker and the one who consistently encourages everyone else onwards and upwards, and he is serious in his pursuit to attend law school and engage in a career of social justice."
