MIAMI — Recognized for his activity in the community, football's Shamir Sterlin was named FIU's Conference USA (CUSA) Fall Spirit of Service Award winner, as announced on Friday by the league office. 
 
Sterlin earned the nod following an impressive body of work on and off the field. A starting safety for the Panthers, the Treasure Coast prep earned a spot on CUSA's All-Freshman Team along with an Honorable Mention selection to the All-CUSA team. Sterlin had 60.0 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups, helping FIU to its first bowl appearance since 2019.
 
Off the field, Sterlin was named as the Panthers' representative on AFCA AllState Good Works Team and appeared on the Wuerffel Award watch list, both of which are credits to his community involvement. 
 
Sterlin has been heavily involved in off-field service with the organization E.N.D. IT, which focuses on establishing a connection with youth in the church through a variety of educational and fun activities. The Port St. Lucie-native also volunteered with Grace Way Village, which helps the less fortunate with meals and general support. 
 
Additionally, he worked with Pick Up for Cancer, Inc., an organization which helps to clean up parks by picking up trash and beautifying those spaces. The aluminum cans that are collected during the park clean-ups then are exchanged for money that contributes directly to cancer research funds. 
 
A complete list of CUSA Fall Spirit of Service Award winners is below:
 
Jake Thaw, Delaware Football
Shamir Sterlin, FIU Football
Reina Herndon, Jax State Soccer
Joshua Huiet, Kennesaw State Football
Clay Shepler, Liberty Football
Mary Helen Burford, LA Tech Soccer
Nicholas Vattiato, MTSU Football
Elena Bartak, Missouri State, Soccer
Amanda Radava, NM State Cross Country
Hannah Bolin, Sam Houston Soccer
Ashlyn Neireiter, UTEP Soccer
Callahan Wiegandt, WKU Volleyball
 
ABOUT THE CUSA SPIRIT OF SERVICE AWARD
The award honors student-athletes with significant community service endeavors, good academic standing and participation in their sport. The Spirit of Service award is presented three times throughout the season, with Friday's honorees representing men's cross country, football, women's soccer and volleyball. 
 
BOWL BOUND

Led by first-year head coach Willie Simmons and our talented student-athletes, coaches and staff, the Panthers are set to represent FIU on a national stage in Dallas, Texas on Dec. 26 in the First Responder Bowl. FIU will take on UTSA at 8 p.m. ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, of which the game will air as a standalone matchup on ESPN. 
 
Visit FIUSports.com/Bowl for all your postseason information.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.