This year's Office of Multicultural Affairs Awards were presented to the following:
The Chrysalis Award (Chrysalis: third stage of growth and differentiation for butterflies), was presented to third year student, Lindsay Dawson.
Lindsay's pursuit of academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement has enhanced the quality of life for students of color and/or the broader Lehigh University family. As one of her nominees stated, “Lindsay Dawson's time at Lehigh could easily be characterized by three words: Grade Point Average. As a Behavioral Neuroscience major she carries an amazing 3.96 cumulative GPA! Although Lindsay is incredibly academically focused, she has also served in various leadership capacities across campus. She is a member of the Kaleidoscope Social Justice Peer Education Group and has served twice as an orientation leader for incoming first-year students. Those who know Lindsay know her to be a fairly quiet, introspective person. But what they may not realize is that she is an absolutely dynamic young woman with incredible drive, intellect and compassion. She deserves to be recognized.” Congratulations to our Chrysalis Award winner, Lindsay Dawson.
The Efflorescence Award (Efflorescene: an example or result of growth and development), was presented to Sara Bailin, who has demonstrated tremendous leadership and support for the mission of Multicultural Affairs, impacted the quality of student life at Lehigh, and has served as a model of professional excellence.
Sara has been fighting for Lehigh since she arrived. As her glowing recommendation states, “her energy, enthusiasm, spirit, and pure passion for multi-cultural issues are apparent in her cross campus life… Sara’s main leadership position at Lehigh has been with The Movement… Sara has continuously shown her unrelenting efforts to sustain this club and the spirit which it embodies in order to end racism, homophobia and sexism on this campus… One of Sara’s greatest strengths is her ability to transcend social restrictions and boundaries to maintain her goals for social justice and multiculturalism. Sara is a part of many groups here at Lehigh. She is involved in The Movement, Kaleidoscope, WAVES, ASA, Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, The Vagina Monologues Fundraiser, and is always a familiar face at lectures and events on campus. Regardless of her environment, Sara is no only uninhibited in speaking her own mind and recruiting other passionate social justice activists but, also in sparking a new interest in more active students.” For her tireless commitment and efflorescence, we honor Sara Bailin.
This year’s Kaleidoscope Award was presented to Daniel Bahner, who is committed to diversity and equity. Daniel is an original member of Kaleidoscope who has contributed his knowledge and expertise in many presentations.
Devoted to social justice, Daniel truly lives a life committed to diversity and equity. He is one of Kaleidoscope’s original members and has contributed his knowledge and expertise in many presentations. Daniel was always one of the first to volunteer for a presentation because he just cannot get enough of talking about social justice with friends and peers. Beyond his involvement in Kaleidoscope, his commitment is demonstrated in other ways across campus. Daniel is an active member of the Spectrum executive board, has served as a “Bob” during the Vagina Monologues and was our beautiful “hostess with the mostess” at this year’s Illusions Drag Show. (He changed outfits at least three times, but we may have lost count.” Congratulations to our Kaleidoscope Award recipient, Daniel Bahner.
The Keystone Award (Keystone: something on which associated things depend), was presented to Ayanna Wilcher.
Ayanna Wilcher has offered endless contributions to multicultural life at Lehigh. As a staff member in Career Services, her down-to-earth style and approachability has greatly increased traffic in her office among underrepresented students of color. Beyond academic and career advice, students know that they can count on Ms. Wilcher to help them in every way she possibly can. Her nominator states, “Ayanna is a tireless worker who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to try and make sure that the students of color at Lehigh have the best possible experience. She also hosts and attends many activities outside the scope of her position at the University.” Students have greatly benefited from her work as the co-chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Planning Committee, the multiple study sessions she has conducted with the Umoja House, Info sessions and Career Fairs, and her leadership during campus-wide Town Hall Meetings. Congratulations to our Keystone, Ms. Ayanna Wilcher.
The Kinship Award was presented to Calvin John Smiley who has demonstrated overwhelming support for the Lehigh community through service and volunteerism.
Calvin John Smiley is somewhat of a household name at Lehigh. His reputation as a committed activist has continued well-into his career as a graduate student. As one of his nominator’s stated, “CalvinJohn has worked with Amnesty International as the state's director for the Abolition of the Death Penalty. Locally, he supports and works with LEPOCO, also for the abolition of the death penalty. As the past president of the Black Student Union, Calvin John now offers support and guidance to this organization... Through a local boxing gym, he is working with Bethlehem teenagers as a mentor encouraging minority youth to realize college can as one of their goals… Calvin John [also] gives of his time and talents to volunteer with the Lehigh University Swim Team as an assistant to the coach.” His nominator also said, “Calvin John is my hero. He gives unselfishly to any and all of the activities he is involved with. He is an inspiration and with his many activities, he still finds the time to be a graduate student maintaining an "A" average. “ In the spirit of kinship, we recognize, CalvinJohn Smiley.
The MVP Award is presented to Sarah Serwo who has excelled both athletically and academically.
Sarah Serwo is an all-around all-star. Her nominator states, “Sarah has excelled both academically and athletically. She is an accounting major who carries a 3.49 GPA. She has also made the Dean's list numerous times and is a Dean's scholar. She has been involved in the ILE class for the golf complex design and she is an apprentice teacher for the Introduction to Business class. She is a member of the C.O.A.C.H. [mentoring program], Beta Alpha Psi, and is a two year captain for the women's track & field team. Athletically, Sarah is a 5 time Patriot League Champion winning the 1000m indoor, 800m indoor, 800m outdoor, 4 x 800m indoor, 4 x 800m outdoor. She is also owns a Patriot League record in the indoor 4 x 800m relay. She owns Lehigh school records in 7 events!” We say that makes her an MVP! Congratulations to Sarah Serwo.
The Paoni Award (Paoni: 10th month of the Coptic, or Egyptian calendar, reflecting the second harvest) was presented to second year student Karl Brisseaux, whose academic and co-curricular leadership has impacted student life at Lehigh.
In only two short years, Karl Brisseaux has made quite an impression on his friends, peers, faculty and the staff at Lehigh. Last fall, he was one of the student recipients of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Dedication and Commitment to Service. A nominator writes, “He is one of the founding members and leaders of the Brown and Black student newspaper, an executive board member of NSBE, member of Break the Silence, the soon-to-be Head Gryphon of Upper Centennials and the list goes on and on.” Aside from his co-curricular involvements, Karl is also performing quite well in the classroom, staying focused on his ultimate goal of obtaining a quality education. Congratulations to our Paoni award recipient, Karl Brisseaux!
The Paradigm Award (Paradigm: mold, standard; one that serves as a pattern or model) was presented to Anna Orchard, who models leadership, personal integrity, and a commitment to academic excellence.
Anna has been an amazing addition to the OMA staff this year. Under her leadership, the Kaleidoscope social justice peer education program continues to soar. As one of her recommenders writes, “Her humor and energy have made her a valuable asset to Lehigh and has increased awareness about social justice and diversity issues at Lehigh. As an individual Anna always approaches with some sort of social justice lens when she goes through her every day schedule at Lehigh even when she is doing research or surfing the internet. She really does dedicate so much of her time to educating others on important issues.” Anna’s commitment to social justice is unmatched, as demonstrated by her newest personal goal of opening a social justice bookstore in South Bethlehem. Congratulations to our Paradigm Award recipient, Anna Orchard.
The Protostar Award (Protostar: an early stage in the evolution of a star) presented to a first year student Eva Gathura, whose early commitment to both academic excellence and co-curricular life has established a solid foundation for both personal and interpersonal success.
Eva Gathura received multiple nominations for this award from staff members as well as her peers. Within her first several weeks at Lehigh, she established a Lehigh chapter of an international organization called Schools for Schools. Her nominators all talked about her incredible work with this organization. One nominator wrote, “Eva jumped right into her college experience pursuing excellence inside and outside the classroom… she is diligent, hard-working, intelligent and compassionate. Her friends and peers (even those who are older) look up to her and respect what she's been able to accomplish in her short time at Lehigh. She is absolutely deserving of this award.” Congratulations to our Protostar, Eva Gathura!
The Student Organization of the Year, was a tie and presented to both the Brown and Black Student Newspaper and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
The Brown & Black Student Newspaper has only been around for one year, and, yet, it has already become an essential collection of voices for our campus community. Spearheaded by passionate students who felt underrepresented in other student papers, the Brown & Black has brought many stories to the forefront, raising cultural awareness, promoting understanding, and challenging common perspectives. As their nominator stated, “This paper was started by the students for the students.” Congratulations to the writers, editors and advisers of the Brown & Black Student Newspaper.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association is one of the largest student organizations at Lehigh with around 500 members. Their contributions to cultural life this year have included both China Night in Baker Hall and the Chinese Festival on the UC Front Lawn, which exposed combined audiences of more than 800 people to various aspects of Chinese heritage. More than 80 student volunteers participated in the organization and/or the performances. One of the nominators writes, “CSSA is an active organization which holds many campus awareness events every year, including International Karaoke Night, the Table Tennis Tournament, etc. CSSA is always the biggest group in the Annual International Bazaar fashion show and food contribution. CSSA [also] collected more than $10,000 in donations last year to [contribute to] the Sichuan earthquake relief fund.” Congratulations to CSSA, this year’s co-recipient of the Student Organization of the Year Award.
The Ralph Albert Thomas '76 Leadership Award was given to QuadirCarter, who has excelled at Lehigh in both athletics and academics.
One of his nominators said, “On the football field, Quadir has been an outstanding performer for the past three years, culminating in receiving all Patriot League recognition as a senior. I believe Quadir has positively influenced people in the Lehigh community by how he handles himself.” Quadir has been a part of the C.O.A.C.H. mentoring programming and has demonstrated leadership among his peers in the football program. As a Lehigh alumnus and member of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to present Quadir with a monetary gift in the amount of $750.00 to go along with this award. It is my hope that this gift will assist in your transition to life after college. May you have continued success in all personal and professional endeavors. Congratulations!
