2023年院长奖获得者

冬青威尔逊

冬青威尔逊, 最近的院长奖获得者, is a neurodiverse cisgender white Pansexual woman. 她是一位艺术家。, 蛋糕装饰, 许多孩子的阿姨, a mother to a wonderful 10-year-old named Levi, 住在莫德斯托, Ca with her partner Shannon and their four pets.

Wilson was drawn to 囊状态's Child and Adolescent Development Program for its concentration in Social and Community. 她是预防自杀的倡导者, 尤其是对LGBTQ+青年, and was inspired by President Nelsen and Josie Nelsen's advocacy work for suicide prevention in honor of their son Seth Nelsen. As someone who lost her mother to suicide at the age of 23, Wilson wanted to be a part of the AFSP Campus out of the Darkness Walk at 囊状态 as a suicide survivor to continue healing and help others do the same.

Wilson pursued a career in education to learn more about how to help children, 青少年, and young adults manage difficult emotions and find sensory regulation within themselves without resorting to alcohol or drugs. 她自己也戒酒了, she wanted to find tools to empower future youth who struggle with depression and 焦虑 to take control over their lives as adults and create a future they want to live in.

Wilson's biggest hurdle at 囊状态 has been to continue and follow through with her studies, no matter how hard or impossible it may seem. 她与抑郁症作斗争, 焦虑, 恐慌障碍, 和C-PTSD, making college a challenge for her fight or flight response in the brain, 不管任务是大是小. Overcoming negative voices of the past has been an enormous challenge, as she builds self-love and confidence as a middle-aged woman still seeking her own self-identity and finding comfort with her power and privilege as a white person. Accepting the 院长奖 was an opportunity for Wilson to practice self-love and remind herself that the world needs educated quirky minds like hers to share their experiences.

毕业后, Wilson is looking forward to using her Bachelor's degree in CHAD and minor in counseling to work as an early interventionist for the community serving children and families while attending 囊状态 full-time in Fall 2023 as a Graduate student in the MA Program for Child and Adolescent Development. 她对学习社会学很感兴趣 & Emotional Development with a focus on Art and Play therapy for families and children as an alternative therapy tool for early intervention for sensory & 情绪调节.

Wilson's advice to the incoming class of educators is to never give up on their dreams, 不管看起来多么不可能. She encourages sharing personal stories in class, 因为它可能会改变一个人的生活, 就像她的同龄人改变了她一样. 最后, 她建议找一位伟大的导师, 辅导员, 或者寻求治疗师的支持, as there are many on-campus resources available to help reach career goals. Congratulations to 冬青威尔逊 on receiving the 院长奖, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

2023年度优秀研究生

托尼·纽曼

Meet 萨克拉门托 City College's Coordinator for Disability Services and 囊状态 alumni, 托尼·纽曼, who is making a positive impact in education. Her passion for education is not only a career but also a life mission. Her dedication to her work is evident in the recognition she has received in the education community, and the 教育学院 is please to award her the 优秀研究生 award.

When asked about what brought her to 囊状态, she mentioned the accessibility and commitment of the faculty, 还有Ed.D. 队列模型. The 队列模型 provides a built-in support system that has been helpful in her academic journey.

However, the journey was not without its challenges. She had to take a medical leave after being diagnosed with cancer, which made the decision to return to the doctoral program difficult. Nonetheless, she persevered and is grateful for the opportunity to continue with her studies.

随着毕业的临近, she is looking forward to more research projects that will lead to real-world solutions. She has already implemented the work related to her dissertation and shares her findings with her colleagues almost every day.

When asked what advice she would give to incoming educators, she emphasized the importance of focusing on the light within each student. As educators, our job is to guide each student on the path toward their dreams.

With her dedication to education and passion for research, she is a true inspiration to students and educators alike.