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Faculty or Staff:

Excellence in Community- Engaged Teaching:

This award honors a CC educator (faculty or staff) who has integrated teaching and learning with community-based work in meaningful, impactful ways. (From 2014 to 2022, this award was named: Exemplary Achievement in Community Engaged Teaching) 

2023-2024 Recipients: Dr. Krista Fish and Dr. Sarah Hautzinger

“For many years Professor Sarah Hautzinger has brought her anthropology students to the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Baca Campus and we have found the experience incredibly valuable to our community. She enthusiastically and generously engages her students with our elder leaders by actively participating in roundtables hosted by the Crestone Spiritual Alliance. Together we have addressed topics of pressing matters of importance such as transfer of water rights in Colorado between river basins, wildlife and wilderness preservation, and natural spiritual qualities associated with wildlands in the San Luis Valley.”

“As a biological anthropologist with a focus in primate ecology and evolution, Dr. Fish brings students into the communicating, striving, meaning-making worlds of our non-human kin. In this moment of climate and sustainability crises, many attribute our tendencies toward anthropocentric thought as enabling our predicament; Fish's hands-on community-based work offers students powerful intervention to this mindset. She does this through multiple field-based courses. Fish has made important contributions to our anti-racist and decolonial work on campus. As chair of the Anthropology Department, Fish has led concerted work to deepen our anti-racist and equity-based commitments for every student, in every course taught."

2022-2023 Recipient: Dr. Tina Valtierra

"I took a course with Tina in the education department that directly related teaching to social justice. Our work engaged community organizations such as Project Voyce as we developed curriculum and lesson plans that would allow students to engage in community issues, they are passionate about. Through this process, we learned how to guide rather than lead students, allowing their voice to be the main driving force behind the curriculum and resulting projects. These projects would be carried out in the community and have a real-world impact. Through this class, I learned how I could become more engaged in my communities, and help others do the same, through education.”

2021-2022 Recipient: Dr. Charlotte Gabrielsen

"I've been inspired by Charlotte's ability to give students a real-life sense of what applied, collaborative, and multi-stakeholder conservation initiatives look like in practice, and her thoughtful commitment to meaningfully leverage CC's institutional resources and engaged students in support of conservation efforts. I believe that Charlotte's courses offer students a sense of agency-helping them to identify real-life opportunities to engage with pressing environmental challenges in meaningful and actionable ways.” 

2020-2021 Recipient: Kat Miller-Stevens

"In Stevens’ non-profit courses, she partners with local organizations to give them free group consulting work from her students. This simultaneously supports nonprofits in the community, while giving students a meaningful way to engage with EDs, staff, and the nonprofit world. Taking this class helped me better understand my own interest in supporting nonprofits, and provides meaningful and accessible ways for students to begin working with them. Her leadership with the Public Interest Fellowship Program demonstrates and scales this work of hers as well." - Ryan O'Meara '21

2019-2020 Recipient: Florencia Rojo

"In her first semester…Florencia used her Community-Based Research class, the first time she had taught it or that it has been taught at all - to do research and report to the CSPD on the police shooting of DeVon Bailey. They did outstanding work and appeared at least one community meeting to report on their findings. It might have been 'lucky' that such an incident occurred during that block, but what was truly amazing was that Florencia, new to the college and new to the community, was able to martial the appropriate resources and connections to make for a deeply meaningful project - for the students and the Springs! She is AMAZING!" (From Gail Murphy-Geiss)Dr. Rojo leads her Sociology students by examples every day, through her courses, and beyond. Fourth block, I was lucky enough to take "Community Based Participatory Research" with Dr. Rojo. Throughout this class and long after it ended, she guided my group in our contribution to the Justice for De'Von Bailey Editorial Board. During the block, we were asked by the Board to research policing best practices, in order to compare the CSPD and analyze what was causing the high rates of violence. We created a report about accountability and transparency practices and presented it to the Board. They were so struck by our results, that they asked us to present to the greater community a month later, at the first in a series of Law Accountability and Transparency Project events. This event was covered by media outlets, and the Chief of Police even attended. Dr. Rojo enabled us to create real change in the community and went above and beyond to support us every step of the way…Dr. Rojo is an incredibly valuable asset to the Soc department and CC as a whole." - Nik Chapleski '21

2018-2019 Recipient: Carol Neel

I would like to nominate Carol Neel for the community-engaged teaching award for her work in mobilizing faculty to teach liberal arts courses in the Youthful Offenders System in Pueblo…the spirit of the endeavor I think perfectly captures the purpose of engaged teaching - breaking the walls of the academy, finding ways to leverage knowledge for the public good, and building relationships with communities beyond the campus." - Jordan Radke, Director, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2017-2018 Recipients: Clay Haskell and Dylan Nelson

"I would like to nominate Dylan Nelson and Clay Haskell for the Exemplary Achievement in Community Engaged Teaching Award due to the work they have done designing and establishing their innovative course, The Colorado Documentary Project. In the past four years, the Colorado Documentary Project has enabled students to work with more than 20 organizations across the state and resulted in a new public television series, "In Short," that shares films about these organizations with audiences across the Rocky Mountain region...The primary goal of the Colorado Documentary Project is, of course, to help students understand documentary storytelling and its impact in practice. More important, its goal (as in all documentary work) is to help students shift their perspective; build empathy; be present in the world; ask, listen to and serve the needs of others; and make and share work within a community." - Barry Sarchett, Professor, English Department

2016-2017 Recipient: Christina Leza

Christina Leza brings true distinction and devotion to her community-engaged teaching, and I cannot imagine a colleague more worthy of recognition. The hallmark of Christina's community-based teaching comes in bringing guests to campus; this is important for, as a Native researcher herself working with some six nations whose ancestral lands are divided by the US/Mexico border, taking students to 'the field,' in her case, can at times be inappropriate, and even intrusive. But Christina joins communities by hosting artists, activists, elders, and leaders at CC.

Christina's deep involvement bespeaks veritably miracles of time management and balancing, particularly when her role as a preschooler's parent is taken into account. As with many faculty with such high levels of involvement, Christina is compelled by intrinsic motivations and a sense of urgency. Meanwhile, she has gained a reputation as a valued, diplomatic-but-incisive voice around a variety of campus tables. In addition to bringing so many to campus, her commitment to getting students out there to do fieldwork, and to teaching students the tools of her field, to careful gathering and analysis of empirical audio, visual, semiotic, and symbolic data, are well balanced by historically sensitive attention to romanticizing and racializing responses to cross-cultural encounters. At the same time, her focus on expressive cultural and technological media - with special interests in performance, film, websites, museums - have tremendous appeal for students." - Sarah Hautzinger, Professor, Anthropology Department

2015-2016 Recipient: Christina Rader

"I have been blown away by Christina's enthusiasm for partnering with the community for her classes during her first year at CC. She is very conscientious in providing a wonderful learning experience for her students as well as making sure the students are well prepared to provide a great learning experience for the K-12 students her classes have worked with. I look forward to the awesome things she has in mind for CC students who take her courses as it sounds like she has no intention of stopping her work with the community." - Anonymous

2014-2015 Recipient: Jessie Dubreill

"I was truly inspired by Jessie's Community Based Learning Course 'The Rhetoric of Health and Illness' during a collaborative visit to meet her community partners at the Moab Free Health Clinic this Fall. Students conducted patient and volunteer interviews, developed outreach materials, and updated the clinic's community resource guide. This was followed by lively discussion and planning each night. I especially appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of this course which combines an exploration of English/literature with an examination of community health, and the regional nature of this partnership in a setting that intersects with so many of students' other interests in the outdoors, southwest studies, and more. I would also like to see Jessie recognized given her important role in expanding these types of opportunities to incoming freshmen as director of the First Year Experience." - Adison Petti '11, Leadership Development Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

Excellence in Community-Engaged Research

This award honors a CC researcher (faculty or staff) who have applied the knowledge of their discipline and their own expertise to the public good through community-engaged research. (From 2018-2022 this award was named Exemplary Achievement in Community-Engaged Research)

2023-2024 Recipient: No award given this year

2022-2023 Recipient: Dr. Srdja Popovic

"His recent work, (co-authored with Sophia MClennan), is Pranksters vs. Autocrats: Why Dilemma Actions Advance Nonviolent Activism (Cornell University Press, 2020), breaks new ground by providing statistical and ethnographic support for the incorporation of "dilemma actions" in civic nonviolence resistance and activist campaigns. Popovic and MClennan provide the first nonconclusive evidence that dilemma actions are more likely catch opponents off guard, provoke often counterproductive responses, while building activist morale and opportunities. The book won the The Lawrence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal, presented by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State which recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world."

2021-2022 Recipient: Dr. Chantal Figueroa

“Professor Figueroa is an inspiring example of what can be done by connecting research and community engagement and advocacy for Mental Health in different communities.
She has done an extensive PhotoVoice project with Women in Guatemala addressing mental health in working-class neighborhoods. She has taken this ethnographic research method to the classroom teaching her students the impact of Photovoice in the communities. Adding to this, she created the mental health strategy for the Ednovate charter school network in California, basing her work on participatory assessment with the social workers of the 6 schools involved. She also led the evaluation of the 26th anniversary of the Austral Institute of Mental Health in Neuquen, Argentina, which included the training of all employees on the topics of sexuality and gender.”

2020-2021 Recipient: Rushaan Kumar

"[Dr. Kumar] is deserving of this award for excellence in community-engaged teaching for 2020 because he successfully conceptualized and inaugurated the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project through one of his classes in the Fall. This archive of the lives of long-term queer residents of Colorado Springs will be housed at the CC library and available to the public. Dr. Kumar's project design and mentorship of students has already resulted in several interviews conducted by students and will be continued through his futures classes." - Chantal Figueroa, Assistant Professor, Education

"For Dr. Kumar’s Block 2 course he led his students in the development of a Colorado Springs-focused LGBTQ oral history project. This involved learning oral history methods as well as interviewing several local, long-time community members (mostly outside of CC). His work got students talking to veterans, current drag queens, organizers, and more and opened their eyes to the long history of activism and community building, and struggle that characterizes this city. Students found this project inspiring on many levels: getting to work with the community, getting to better understand the methods and impact that oral histories have in revising the archive that we usually study, and reflecting on how over the last several decades language and notions of “LGBTQ” “community” have both changed. Having only lived in the city a few years himself, this was an important project for his own development and for the continued project to form a sense of place here. He intends to include these narratives in the local library, available to the public, as well as the CC library as a resource for future research. And, with the long list of references he has enough future interviewees to continue this project for many years to come." - Naomi Wood, Associate Professor, Spanish and Portuguese

2019-2020 Recipient: Rachel Montgomery Paupeck

"[Professor Paupeck] saw a need, launched a Go Fund Me to raise money for materials, gathered a team, troubleshot the 3-D printers/laser cutters on campus, and now her and her team have delivered hundreds of masks to essential front line workers such as EMT's, firefighters, grocery clerks, police officers, etc. She and her team have been featured on a couple of local news channels and The Gazette. I truly feel she is building a bridge in the community with this project and has been working long days on her block 'off' since the project started to meet demand." - Dez Menendez, Director, Creativity & Innovation

"Professor Paupeck's original idea was to donate the masks to hospitals. As it turns out, there is an equally pressing need for PPE in indigenous communities, many of which have no protective equipment and no resources to acquire it. Rachel has been working with the elders of the Navajo nation, as well as two other tribal groups, to provide masks and hospital gowns to a total of six indigenous communities. Masks are needed not only at hospitals (where in some cases health care workers were sharing the use of a single welding mask) but in nursing homes, grocery stores, gas stations, and other essential businesses. Having worked out how to produce masks, she is now developing designs for hospital gowns and 3-D printed doorknob latches that reduce the possibility of infection in medical and other public facilities. She is also investigating other possible architectural anti-viral interventions for hospitals, such as producing a transparent fabric that can be used to separate medical personnel from patients in exam rooms…For her truly selfless service and for the generous application of her research as a designer and architect to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, I nominate Rachel Montgomery Paupeck for the Exemplary Achievement in Community-Engaged Research Award. I can think of no more deserving recipient." - Jane Hilberry, Professor, Creativity and Innovation

2018-2019 Recipient: Santiago Guerra

Dr. Guerra's ethnographic research focuses on understanding the historical and contemporary impact of drug trafficking and border policing on social life in U.S-Mexico border communities. Through what anthropologists define as "thick description," Dr. Guerra renders visible the mundane and extraordinary in the lives of drug traffickers and their families as a counterpoint to the sensationalized renderings of these issues by journalists, documentarians, and filmmakers that saturate discussions of this timely topic. His research also focuses on marijuana legalization, and specifically, the social and cultural significance of both medical and recreational marijuana in the state of Colorado…I truly believe Dr. Guerra's work demonstrates the ways he contributes his knowledge and expertise to the public good that directly impacts the Colorado Springs and surrounding communities." - Karen Roybal, Assistant Professor, Southwest Studies

2017-2018 Recipient: Gail Murphy-Geiss

"Gail leverages half-block courses each year to engage students in ongoing community-engaged research projects with two partners: Planned Parenthood of the Rockies, and the El Paso County Dependency and Neglect Courts. Additionally, she is committed to promoting community-engaged research methodologies to students, integrating the teaching of these methods into the sociology research course. In addition to explicitly discussing community-engaged research, she integrates an orientation toward applied research into the entire curriculum. She embodies the goals of CER by being collaborative, humble, and applied." - Anonymous

Staff or Faculty:

Excellence in Community Engagement

This award honors a CC staff of faculty member who collaborates with communities beyond the campus, modeling to students an ethic of community engagement. Preference given to those who engage other CC stakeholders, especially students, in that community work. (From 2017 to 2022 this award was called the Community-Engaged Staff Award)

2022-2023 Recipient: Jennifer Wakeen

"Over the last two academic years, Jennifer has coordinated nearly 300 education-based placements in the local community for education department courses that require practicums, internships, or student teaching. During this time, Jennifer has cultivated numerous local partnerships, built mutually beneficial partnerships, and ensured that CC students and our local community partners learn from one another in powerful, inclusive, and respectful ways. She has collaborated with the CCE, office of field study, education department faculty, and local educators to ensure our impact in the local community is robust and meaningful.”

2022-2023 Recipient: Dr. Nancy Rios

“I had the pleasure of working with Nancy on community engaged projects over this past academic year in conjunction with CC Mobile Arts. Nancy’s gift lies in her ability to curate multi-disciplinary immersive arts events that highlight the power of art as resistance and bring Colorado Springs artists into conversation with the CC community. Along the way, she assists educators in implementing anti-racist and community-responsive pedagogical practices unique to their specific classes, while also creating spaces for us to envision possibilities for what might be. Nancy’s thoughtful and compassionate approach helped to inspire trust, and enabled spaces for students and community artists to collaboratively share their creative gifts and take risks.”

2021-2022 Recipient: Niki Sosa Gallegos

"Niki goes above and beyond in her role as the Community Partnerships Coordinator for the CCE. She has an innate ability to create new relationships with community partners and to continue to cultivate relationships with existing partners in a way that is personable, intentional, and thoughtful. In building and maintaining relationships, she is mindful of not only bringing partners into the work of the CCE as co-educators, but also going out and committing her own time to be a part of the work that our community partners do as well. Niki's support and encouragement of students to connect with the Colorado Springs community is both helpful and inspiring.” 

2020-2021 Recipients: Amy Hill and Antonio Soto

"Amy and Antonio have been a champion of promoting on-campus engagement and support. Examples of such work include time spent championing CC Votes and bringing staff and faculty together to strategize ways to support students, creating unique programs like a gift-card giveaway that supports local Black-owned businesses, monitoring on-campus in-person events where students can engage with each other, and more." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Paraprofessional, Collaborative for Community Engagement

"On behalf of the Butler Center, we wanted to unanimously nominate Amy Hill and Antonio Soto for their heroic efforts in creating community this past year. Both have worked tirelessly throughout the summer constantly shifting plans and meeting the ever-changing needs of our students in a way that we believe, many outside of student life often do not fully comprehend.

"While many of us were doing what we could from home, the constant shifts in who was coming to campus, whether NSO was in person and the rolling quarantines meant 18+ hours in person-days for Amy and Antonio coordinating simultaneous in-person and remote orientation for over 600 students in August and then the rest of the students in Block 2. This meant collaborating with Res life, health services, dining, academics, campus safety, and more on everything from getting students fed, to testing to access to campus buildings for classes when folks did not get tested or complete the move-in checklist. Many of the folks in student life, Amy and Antonio especially, are responsible for the very lowest two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy; food, shelter, security, and a sense of belonging – all of which must be met in order for any learning to take place. We often take these things for granted and in turn often overlook the work that goes into providing these for our students. I would say this year Amy and Antonio have turned this into an art – not just making sure students were fed and kept busy but providing meaningful engagement and social justice-centered awareness and inclusion. From orientation to the election, to the January 6th insurrection and timely/inclusive free Friday giveaways, we can’t say enough how much the entire Butler Center appreciates having them as collaborators and colleagues." - Butler Center Staff

"This dynamic duo has been working incredibly hard throughout this year in Campus Activities to keep students engaged with one another and with the broader Colorado Springs community - even during a pandemic. Both Amy and Antonio are always supporting the capacity of the CCE by collaborating on BreakOut opportunities, supporting CCE staff and interns in adapting to COVID guidelines, and bringing together various campus offices. More broadly, Amy and Antonio also work to plan programming that involves local partners and businesses, fostering a spirit of community engagement at CC." - Maddi Schink '23

"Amy worked diligently to ensure that students had access to resources during the 2020 presidential election and shared the resources of the Campus Activities Office to support the work of CC Votes. Amy has also consistently supported the work of Breakout to make sure that students could still engage in community work during the pandemic. I am so grateful for all the support that Amy provides to the CCE!" - Elena Martinez-Vivot '21

2019-2020 Recipient: Julianne Gavino

"While Dr. Julianne Gavino's job description centers on engaging the CC faculty and students through the FAC Museum, Dr. Gavino models best practices for collaboration between CC and the community…Faculty and students are at the center of everything Julianne does, but she goes many steps further by connecting to and integrating various communities… [She] consistently reaches out to local artists and connects them to students…[Her] collaborative community work and connecting the FAC to students is a giant step towards making CC students feel more part of the Colorado Springs and regional communities. Julianne understands that engaging in the community happens in the community. Each time someone in our Education team has an idea, Julianne immediately considers how we can consult with and involve the community in that experience. Community engagement is at Julianne's core both in her personal and professional life. Working with her, we see first-hand how she forges strong community relationships between CC, Colorado Springs, and regional communities, making her an extraordinary candidate for the Community-Engaged Staff Award." - Kris Stanec, Director of Museum Education and Alie Ehrensaft, Museum Education Assistant, Fine Arts Center)

2018-2019 Recipient: Summer Music Festival Staff

I nominate the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Summer Music Festival [Sue Grace and her staff] for CCE's Year-End Awards. The festival has been a 35-year mainstay of the local music scene, providing CC a stellar reputation in community outreach and, simultaneously, a national reputation in musical and organizational excellence...Simply put, there is no CC program that so thoroughly integrates the Pikes Peak Region community in its mission. They are a model for other young CC programs attempting to engage diverse community constituencies in their endeavors. I heartily recommend the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Summer Music Festival to CCE for consideration of your year-end awards." - Tom Lindblade, Professor, Theatre & Dance Department

2017-2018 Recipient: Heather Powell Browne

"I know Heather is involved in many different circles and causes in Colorado Springs, but I know most of her contribution towards supporting refugees in Colorado Springs. At CC, she has been central to organizing and training staff, faculty, alumni, and students via Refugee Alliance. Heather's efforts have made a significant impact off-campus, mostly directly on the capacity of Lutheran Family Services to provide support for refugees. Heather has collaborated with the CCE to make use of the existing database to keep try and track of student membership and involvement. I feel like Heather's dedication to the cause and effect of her actions makes her an ideal nominee for this award." - Anonymous

Community:

Outstanding Community Partner Award

This award honors a community organization, association, or member who partners with CC in ways that meaningfully engage and develop members of our campus community.

2023-2024 Recipient: Citizens Project

“Since its founding in 1992, Citizens Project has been a valuable community partner to ºÚÁϳԹÏ. From the very beginning, Citizens Project has worked closely with members of ºÚÁϳԹÏ's queer student body to protect the rights and civil liberties of LGBTQIA+ Coloradans. In my time with Citizens Project I've been fortunate to see this tradition continue on and expand to promote equity, inclusion, and justice for all; I've also had the opportunity to see the difference that CC students make regarding the civic engagement and equity work that Citizens Project does within the community. Citizens Project would not be in the same place without the dedication, commitment, and lived-experience that students volunteers, interns, and Bonner Fellows bring to the table, and the organization is proud to impart practical and professional skills as well as real-world experience to the future leaders of our city, state, and country.”

2022-2023 Recipient: Food to Power

"Seeing the impact FTP has on the community and shows up has been one of the most rewarding parts of the job. They collaborate with many other non-profits in the springs such as flying pig farm, concrete couch and more. They offer their space to facilitate meetings for others in the community and try to make programs and uses as accessible. Just this past weekend they hosted a skill share, their no-cost grocery program, and working on the bike shed with concrete couch. They grilled food and offered community members, after getting their groceries, to sit and participate in workshops or simply just share a meal. They really see you as a person and care for you. I have had an amazing experience with the organization. I have learned so much and look forward to continuing to be a part of it.”

2021-2022 Recipient: Doug Rouse of the Marian House- Catholic Charities of Central Colo.

“Doug has been an exceptional partner in engaging with ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï and our students. He is always eager to connect with our students to build empathy and understanding, and share opportunities to support our neighbors experiencing houselessness. Doug has been flexible to engage our students around the Block Plan and is always open to our students coming in with innovative ideas on how to meet community needs and increase impact.  He is a great collaborator and always mindful of what is best for those needing the support of Catholic Charities and Marian House.”

2020-2021 Recipient: Inside/Out Youth Services

"At the moment, I do not know any local organization that has such a high ratio of CC students, alumni, or once-affiliated folks. Their work often collaborates with the CC community to provide training related to sexual health and safety, working to build allyship with people that are often not involved with LGBTQ+ support and advocacy. During my time as a PIFP fellow, I felt that I could do meaningful work while supported as a queer person—in ways that were honestly lacking for me in CC’s programming." - Ryan O'Meara '21

2019-2020 Recipient: Rob Lessig, Mitchell High School

"I became acquainted with Mr. Lessig four years ago when the education and sociology departments collaborated to build a partnership with MHS for both our Youth Organizing for Social Change course and our college access initiatives. Ever since then, Mr. Lessig - a highly revered English Language Arts (ELA) teacher-leader - has been a crucial advocate and partner. As most, if not all, of my courses, include a community-based learning project, Rob has been by far the most responsive, supportive, and passionate partner in collaborating on meaningful engagement and development of CC students and students at MHS…University-community partners are meant to be mutually beneficial, and Rob's enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to this partnership are what make the CC-MHS just that. I recommend Mr. Lessig for the Outstanding Community Partner award with great enthusiasm. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious recognition." - Tina Valtierra, Assistant Professor, Education Department

2018-2019 Recipient: Brian Kates '93, City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services

"Brian has served the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï community by supporting our summer public interest fellowship program fellows year after year as they learn to engage local community members, statistics, and passion in order to support efforts to increase walking and biking within Colorado Springs. Under his strong supervision, our students have emerged from this fellowship with lasting community partnerships, deliverables, and even skills that support both them and the local Colorado Springs parks, recreation, and cultural services community for years to come." - Cari Hanrahan, Director, Public Interest Fellowship Program

2017-2018 Recipient: Rocky Mountain Field Institute

"CC and RMFI have worked together on numerous projects for well over a decade. The relationship has been mutually beneficial connecting students with service projects through the NSO Priddy Experience, BreakOut, and other Outdoor Education programs through the years. They have been a great conduit for CC students pursuing conservation work and have hired many alums to work on their crews. They are a professional and noble organization that stays true to its mission. I can't say enough about their follow-through and impact on any student that is lucky enough to work with them." - Ryan Hammes, Director, Outdoor Education

2016-2017 Recipient: Lutheran Family Services

No Nomination Text Available

2015-2016 Recipient: Mary Lynn Sheetz

"Mary Lynn has gone above and beyond the requirements of a community partner this year. She has been very involved in our work to get a student into college and for her to be able to attend college next year. She helped us make connections with new students for our group, and always supports us in whatever we decide is best for the group as a whole. Outside of AMA, Mary Lynn organizes a local Spanish Night to assist recent immigrants in practicing their English and making local connections. She cares very much about her community and has helped in many ways to make ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï students a part of this community." - Anonymous

2014-2015 Recipient: LouAnn Dekleva and Colorado Springs School District 11

"LouAnn oversees all of the volunteer and community partnerships within the Colorado Springs School District 11 and has been integral in the success of ºÚÁϳԹÏ's partnerships with the local schools. LouAnn has a long history of connecting ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï and its students to wonderful opportunities within D11 schools and works to ensure partnerships are mutually beneficial. In a few cases where a student organization has lost its partnership with a school, LouAnn has acted as an advocate for the group and has worked to find another school that is interested in partnering with the student organization. She has a great wealth of experience with service-learning and community partnerships and strives to provide safe, sustainable partnerships between D11 and CC students. LouAnn is a great collaborator who is a pleasure to work with." - Sarah Marshall, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

Students:

Advocacy and Activism Award

This award honors a student who has championed a social or environmental issue through advocacy, awareness-raising, and/or activism.

2022-2023 Recipient: Lizbeth Lucero Chavez

“Lizbeth has worked tirelessly for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) both on and off campus, raising awareness and working to decrease the stigma of mental illness, for all of her years at ºÚÁϳԹÏ. Lizbeth has participated in the "In Our Own Voice" program where she and others talk to community groups, campus groups, and high schoolers about what mental illness really is (not the stereotypes) and how to get help if they ever need it. She is a role model as she speaks with great clarity and in a down to earth way. Lizbeth has also worked for NAMI as a Youth Programs Outreach Specialist. Lizbeth, as a psychology major and bilingual Spanish minor, has 'put her money where her mouth is,' and worked to change the community in which she lives, one person or group at a time. She is a hopeful beacon for decreasing the stigma of mental illness in our lifetime.”

2022-2023 Recipient: Finn Mott

“In 2022, Finn was awarded a Student Seed Innovation Grant, funded by Creativity & Innovation at CC, to explore and understand the discrepancy in LGBTQIA2S+ treatment in Europe vs. the U.S. Finn believes the best way to instigate change is through artistic movements that foster sensitivity, bravery, and compassion. To that end, Finn’s time in Europe yielded a collection of poems that dissect, analyze, and break apart why treatment differences exist. His work communicates the underrepresented voice of LGBTQIA2S+ persons in a compassionate and relatable light. His advocacy for LGBTQIA2S+ voices will soon inspire a wider audience as his collection has been accepted for publication by the Lethe Press, one of the largest LGBTQ presses in the U.S. His collection is scheduled to publish in March 2024."

2021-2022 Recipient: Stop Line 3 Organizers

These students have worked hard to advocate, raise awareness and organize on campus around Stop Line 3. They have successfully organized informational workshops around Line 3, a student rally against Chase Bank (one of the biggest funders of Line 3), and transition bank workshop (to defund the banks supporting Line 3 and other fossil fuel projects). They hope to continue this work in the future.”

2020-2021 Recipient: Filip Carnogursky '23

"Filip has been actively engaged with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal since the fall of 2019, and especially active this last year...The particular effort I am thinking of is an event Filip organized earlier this spring which was something of a 'speed dating event for local activism which was designed to get people to write emails, at the event, for 3-4 different groups. Filip had set it up with a specific issue focus for each group." - Mark Smith, Professor, Economics and Business

"Filip did an amazing job bringing campus and community together this February to explore the local options for Colorado Springs to come together for climate action in a way that helped maintain the momentum that was built out of the collective effort to retire the Drake coal plant. Filip spent almost 2 months planning and building relationships with 11 organizations who sponsored the event titled "Drake is closing: What's next for climate action in Colorado Springs," which featured 4 speakers ranging from Colorado Springs Utilities to local environmental organizations who spoke to climate action opportunities and offered ways for the event's 160 virtual attendees (wow!) to take action. He did a great job working through the local Sierra Club Beyond Carbon community team to make the event a success and delegate roles.

"Now, he continues to work with students and community members to ensure Colorado Springs residents have the information they need to advocate for their values around climate change and the environment to support pro-environmental legislation that is moving through the Colorado General Assembly. He's unstoppable!" - Anna McDevitt, Sierra Club

"[Filip] has been working alongside Sierra Club for the last years in a very active role, bringing awareness in Campus and Colorado Springs about climate change and concrete actions we can take. This year we have been responsible for Colorado Springs´ active response to the new bill that is being discussed in the house and can be a critical point defining the reduction of carbon for the next 30 years in the whole state." - Julieta Lechini '22

2019-2020 Recipients: Elam Boockvar-Klein '20, Liam Reynolds '21, and Max Kronstadt '20

"[Elam, Liam, and Max] created a movement in the Springs to make sure the City Council passes policies that allow for mixed and affordable housing in the spring - The Colorado Springs Pro-Housing Partnership…Their work has been quite effective, if not in getting the policies they wanted to be passed, but in raising the issue and keeping it before the City Council, despite pushback." - Gail Murphy Geiss, Professor, Sociology Department

"Liam started researching and fact-finding about affordable housing in Colorado Springs in January of 2019, reading policy documents and reports and meeting with local stakeholders to figure out where he could be of most use to the cause. By summer, he had toyed with a number of different ideas, but ultimately decided that what the city needed was a grassroots campaign in support of policies that would make housing more affordable…He then co-founded the Colorado Springs Pro-Housing Partnership with a few peers and began building a diverse coalition to push the city in the right direction. This involved sending out hundreds of emails and showing up to dozens of meetings to hear from people about their experiences with the housing market, discuss the policy landscape, and build a base of support for the cause." - Max Kronstad '20

2018-2019 Recipient: Jane Hatfield '22

"In just her first year at ºÚÁϳԹÏ, Jane has taken the tremendous initiative to foster inclusive spaces on and off campus through skateboarding. At CC, she's created a supportive community of women who learn from each other and connect through the sport of skateboarding. However, from the time she founded Girls Skate Club, Jane was determined to make sure the benefits felt by the club were not limited to just the campus community. As a result, Jane applied for and was awarded the Collaborative for Community Engagement's William P. Dean Memorial Fund grant in order to support a new relationship with the YMCA's after-school program for middle school students. Jane has been an excellent, dependable leader as Girls Skate Club members have developed a mentorship program at the YMCA focused on using skateboarding and art in creative ways to empower their mentees and deepen connections with the community." - Jasmine Wallack, Civic Leadership Paraprofessional, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2017-2018 Recipient: Montana Bass '18

"Montana is a graduating senior in the Community-Engaged Leadership program. This year, she has poured her time and energies into addressing gender-based violence and sexual assault on our campus. She is an active member of START -- Student Title IX Assistance & Resource Team, a confidential peer-to-peer resource for students seeking Title IX-related support. For her CEL capstone project, she has been organizing other students on campus to share their experiences around gender-based discrimination, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, and stalking on a survey. The goal of this project is to have better information on our campus climate to inform strategies to address these issues moving forward. She has used awareness-raising techniques and organizing strategies to raise the profile of this issue on our campus, and is doing so in very collaborative ways." - Jordan Radke, Director, Collaborative for Community Engagement

CBO Capacity-Builder Award

This award honors a student who has deeply committed to a community-based organization, meaningfully investing their skills and knowledge to advancing the mission of the organization. Nominations for this award will be solicited from Community Partners.

2023-2024 Recipients: Tyler Yung

“Tyler was Palmer Land Conservancy's PIFP fellow during the summer of 2023. During his tenure with Palmer, Tyler performed outstanding work with our stewardship team. His monitoring reports showed a level of detail that would be expected of a conservation professional with several years' experience and his research greatly assisted me in creating an additional suite of resources for our landowners. After completing his fellowship, Tyler volunteered to work with us in order to complete required volunteer hours per his program. Through this volunteering, Tyler has organized community clean up events on conserved public properties, performed GIS projects for various Palmer teams, and joined our events team on multiple occasions. Tyler has also worked with Charlotte Gabrielsen's landscape ecology course in a case study of Pueblo County and contributed vital data within that project for both CC and Palmer.
Overall, Tyler is passionate about conservation, and he has contributed immensely to ongoing community efforts in the Pikes Peak Region and southern Colorado through his community engaged volunteerism and public interest work. After graduating from ºÚÁϳԹÏ, Tyler will continue his commitment to community-engaged conservation work, as he has also been hired to serve as the Conservation Easement Coordinator at Whatcom Land Trust in Bellingham, WA.”
 

2022-2023 Recipient: Peniel Owusu-Ansah

“Peniel has been my rock since my recent start to Educating Children of Color. Peniel has taken charge of the Educating Children of Color Leadership Academy. This means she makes sure programming happens for over two hundred youth in our community and she also coordinates with two mentors and one community liaison for more than 10 cohorts of students spread around numerous schools in Colorado Springs. When I first started Peniel was kind, and helpful, and did not make assumptions that I knew what I was doing as an executive director. Peniel also serves on the Educating Children of Color Board of Directors all while studying for her L Sat. I couldn't believe or be more appreciative of her giving of her time to make Leadership Academy run. Peniel has also started recruiting college student mentors for next school year and has also started working on the process of helping to create affinity groups within the schools. Peniel puts a tremendous amount of time and effort into the success of ECOC. I am confident that Colorado Springs is a far better place having Peniel in it.”

2021-2022 Recipient: Caleb Richards

"Caleb has "adopted" our (Concrete Couch) FAB LAB program. Every Wednesday he joins our group of 15-25 kids and adults to build things, recycling junk and used materials into great projects and filling the experience with learning at every step. The students appreciate Caleb and respond to him.

Caleb has attended approximately 25 FAB LAB classes! Additionally, he comes frequently to our Saturday "Grab Bag" sessions at the community park Concrete Coyote. He has been a super and steady presence at these programs, and is the first ill call when we have large groups (20 plus) who have signed up. Caleb has an interest in teaching in his future, so he has some vested interest in exploring teaching with us, but the consistency and support he has bestowed upon our program is unique in 30 years of engagement with CC students! Caleb certainly has earned our highest praises.”

2020-2021 Recipient: Taylor Hawkins '21

"[Taylor] is an amazing resource for Educating Children of Color Inc. She has served as the college representative on the Board of Directors for three years. She acts as the assistant to the volunteer Executive Director. This year, she recruited and supervised college mentors for the Leadership Academy which serves 100 middle and high school students. She personally mentored some of those youth and provided writing instruction for essays, college applications, and scholarship applications. She helps to manage our media presence by editing, posting, and promoting videos on our youtube channel and assisting with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In an all-volunteer organization, Taylor is a Godsend! She has changed the lives of youth and been integral to our mission to dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline for children of color and children in poverty through education." Regina Walter, Executive Director, ECOC Inc.

2019-2020 Recipient: Angelina Chen '22

"During her time at Inside Out Youth Services, Angelina has found ways to contribute with her unique voice and skills to programs across our agency. Angelina has not only helped in our group programs with LGBTQ+ youth and youth experiencing homelessness but has also transitioned into a leader for these groups, planning her own activities and facilitating difficult conversations among these young people with ease and compassion. She has become a beloved advisor and role model for many of our youth. Yet this is not the only way Angelina has contributed to our mission at Inside Out Youth Services to provide safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and to advocate on their behalf in El Paso County. With her keen interest in social-scientific research as well as her fierce championing for sexual violence prevention, Angelina has worked alongside our Safe@Schools program, visiting local high schools and middle schools to learn from students as the experts in their own lives what risks they face for harassment, bullying, and sexual violence. Within these sessions, Angelina has thoughtfully helped students to find their voices to discuss these difficult topics respectfully with their peers, and has been a critical member of our team in recording these sessions and taking down data for future analysis…I have never worked with a full-time student at an institution for higher education who has managed to negotiate the competing time demands of volunteering, working, and studying during the best of times, let alone during an international public-health crisis. And yet, Angelina has remained a steadfast member of our team even as the COVID-19 pandemic affected both the United States and her home country profoundly…Her commitment to our youth and our work in protecting some of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our community during these difficult times is a testament to her personal integrity and strength." - Alexander Wamboldt, Manager of Prevention Programs, Inside/Out Youth Services

2018-2019 Recipient: Rachel Powers '20

"Rachael has worked (along with all students in the AMA organization) to ensure the advancement of our ESL students here at Mann Middle School. Through their efforts and volunteer time, approximately 12 ESL students received almost weekly tutoring, mentorship, and support throughout the 2018-19 school year. My students were leery to attend at first as it was something that was new and unknown. However, the AMA students were so welcoming, friendly, and approachable that my students began looking forward to their weekly meeting. The benefits that my student are receiving from the AMA are beyond my ability to express. Language growth is a part of the benefits but even more are the social-emotional and community acceptance piece that my students are receiving." - Kim Stone, 6th Grade School Counselor, Mann Middle School

2017-2018 Recipient: Elena Perez '19

"Since the fall of 2015, Elena Perez has been a remarkable addition to our organizational functioning. From the very beginning of her time with us, Elena has displayed a passion for the work of Family Promise of Colorado Springs. Initially, she served as our primary afternoon office volunteer, who would conduct family interviews over the phone and offer referrals to families in crisis. From her early success in 'the little things,' it became evident that Elena could handle other responsibilities. This can be seen by the way in which, presently, our office functions through referral lists, interview prompts, and other projects Elena has pursued to make our organization more efficient." - Rev. John-Mark Brown, Volunteer Manager, Family Promise of Colorado Springs

Community Collaborator Award

This award honors a student who has engaged in meaningful relationship-building between communities on and off the campus, and in so doing best exemplifies commitment to communities of the Pikes Peak Region.

2023-2024 Recipient: Denise Geronimo & Naomi Henry

 “Denise’s record of community engagement demonstrates a strong and meaningful commitment to public service.  Denise was a part of the Bonner Fellowship at CC, a four-year paid civic leadership fellowship that combines multi-year internships with local nonprofits with learning and reflection in community with peers.  Alongside her work as a fellow, Denise worked for the Collaborative for Community Engagement office for two years in the role of Issue Organizer for the Criminal Justice Coalition, interned for a local organization named Black and Pink, helped re-launch Justice (now Injustice) Watch, and sustained the Prison Abolition Project through the pandemic. She has wholeheartedly engaged in meaningful relationship-building between communities on and off the campus.”  

“Naomi has been instrumental in bringing CC Mobile Arts, and their energy and practice, into the Concrete Couch domain. She has been an active volunteer with the Concrete Couch Jam Band, and has volunteered at Tuesday Trails, FAB LAB, and other CC programs. Naomi has brought other CC students into the "Couch" fold. Naomi has helped us design and implement major events at Concrete Coyote Community Park. She is also the cheif designer and energy behind an upcoming Saturday event at Concrete Coyote Community Park (April 6: "Creative Expression of Home and Community"). Given her energy, creativity, follow through, and communication and outreach mojo, were super looking forward to the collaboration and know it will be a success!” 

2022-2023 Recipient: Jessa Granata

“As a Lead Mentor for the Stroud Scholars Program, Jessa has proven herself to be an exceptional mentor to scholars, as her empathy, advocacy, and commitment to supporting students has set the tone for what a Stroud Mentor should be. Jessa always creates a supportive and safe space for students to express themselves and their interests, while expertly finding ways to connect students to create meaningful friendships and communities. She also has a knack for leveraging her knowledge of CC to find creative ways to advocate for her students and their needs. Jessa has been actively engaged in the development of the Stroud Scholars Program since it launched in 2019. She was one of the first mentors we hired. The commitment she has made to the program and its students is remarkable and sets herself apart from others, as she has done the work to develop relationships with students, staff, faculty, and community members, which is a rare feat and deserving of acknowledgment.”  

2021-2022 Recipient: Daya Stanley

The Pikes Peak Children’s Museum opened in the Southeast in April, 2022 and Daya immediately began forming a relationship with the Executive Director, Nohea March, and has sustained work there throughout the past year.

She is attentive to the mission of that organization, to its reliance on donations and volunteer labor and has made it a priority to ensure that CC Mobile Arts prioritized that partnership through monthly visits, contributions of artists, and hands-on work herself.”

2020-2021 Recipient: Theodore-Sky "Teddy" Weiss '21

"Theo is a life-long resident of Colorado Springs with strong connections to local NGOs and community groups. Over the last two years, Theo has served as the liaison between local community groups and our co-taught class, PS 239 Waging Non-Violent Conflict. Although the class begins with a week of intensive academic training in social movement theory, the highlight of the course is a two-week workshop in which students design and present a two- to three-year strategic plan for a social movement or a community organization. Theo’s connections have allowed us to work with live groups in this project.

"Theo’s work has been essential. He literally handled every aspect of the community-facing part of the course, becoming in effect a bridge between students and the community. This included identifying and contacting each organization, explaining the course to their top officials, and interesting them in coming to a few classes and working with students on their plans. The opportunity for students to develop and present their plans to the community partners at the end of the workshop has been energizing for both the students and by all accounts extremely exciting and engaging for the partners.

"Past partners have included, Anthony Carlson--Peak Partnership, Victoria Stone (and others)--Pikes Peak Peace and Justice Commission, Susan Davies--Trails and Open Space, and more recently, a Veterans branch of the Black Lives Matter, and CC’s own get out the vote organization, CC Votes. Throughout, Theo was hard-working, diplomatic, and relentlessly focused on community organizers' needs. He also made it possible for several students to begin working with the groups on a volunteer basis after the courses ended.

"In addition to helping us work respectfully and synergistically with community groups, Theo organized a number of presentations from local community members that helped students better gain a better understanding of key issues in the Pikes Peak region and Colorado. This included, most notably, bringing State Senator Pete Lee to class to discuss his work to disrupt the cradle-to-prison pipeline through legislation.

"Theo’s community work extended beyond the class. Over the past two years, Theo has worked closely with the Srdja Popovic’s Belgrade-based NGO, Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS). Theo's efforts included contributing to CANVAS’s weekly newsletter in which he reported on and analyzed ongoing social movements across the world. Theo also helped coordinate conversation and workshop planning across the world. In addition, Theo also wrote up several case studies for use in CANVAS workshops with university students and activist groups. He helped CANVAS with editing, research, and writing its publications and most recently co-wrote an article with Srdja for Real Clear World on the importance of activism during Covid." - Srdja Popvic and John Gould, Professor, Political Science

2019-2020 Recipient: Natalie Sarver '20

"Natalie has been integral, integral to the CC Refugee Alliance since her first year when I launched it, and remains committed all the way through until now, her senior year, as co-chair…She is, in a nutshell, highly motivated. She has brought that bright and relentless drive to the work that she has done in organizing, coordinating, and partnering with me and the other CC Refugee Alliance leadership team over these past four years, and I believe that she most definitely deserves recognition for her consistent and impactful efforts…Natalie has been unfaltering in her work during all of her four years at CC, from leading training for new volunteers to bringing community organizations and workshops to campus to enrich our community with knowledge and activism to coordinating (and participating in) the tutoring/ESL program for newly-arrived high school-age refugees. These young people have gone through so, so much to be here in our community, and I know that her persistent, cheerful, and empowering tutoring has helped many of them envision a new pathway to success that may not have been an option in their home cultures. I've been inspired by her commitment, on top of her excellent academic achievements and near-perfect GPA…I am very grateful for Natalie, and would like to honor her organized, dedicated work and her consistently strong heart." - Heather Powell Browne, Assistant Director, Global Education, Center for Global Education & Field Study

"[Natalie] has fostered innumerable relationships through Refugee Alliance with folks in the community, and continues to support migrants and immigrants not only through cultural mentoring and tutoring but through financial investments like choosing their eateries for catering and introducing other students to them." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2018-2019 Recipient: Max Kronstadt '20

"Max is deeply engaged in many forms of community-campus partnerships, including Public Achievement, J Street U, the Political Advocacy Coalition, and struggles for environmental justice in Colorado Springs. Within all of these engagements, Max rarely misses a meeting and is always willing to brainstorm ways to generate solutions to community needs. It is an inspiration to see how much of his time is dedicated to developing relationships within the city -- whether it be middle schoolers or city council members. He embodies exactly the type of engaged citizenship that CC seeks to foster, and I know that many of these established ties will last long beyond the date of his graduation." - Anonymous

2017-2018 Recipient: Elam Boockvar-Klein '20

"Elam is involved in Public Achievement, JStreetU, and volunteers weekly at Early Connections Learning Center. While all three are commendable, I think his involvement with Early Connections speaks to Elam's conception of community engagement. Elam does not volunteer there with a CC group or with fellow students but rather through his own volition. While individual projects have the risk of inconsistency, Elam goes every week without fail.

"In addition, he is on the Strategic Planning committee for the CCE. While I do not usually believe that on-campus committee work should necessarily qualify as community engagement, I think his service on the committee demonstrates a passion for the institutional infrastructure for community engagement." - Ethan Greenberg '20

Campus Organizer

This award honors a student who mobilizes diverse campus stakeholders toward addressing a community-based need and/or promoting an engaged campus culture.

2023-2024 Recipient: Niklas Nilsson

“Niklas has been the lead student organizer for the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Athletic Department since last Spring. He has taken the helm of coordinating various Men's and Women's teams volunteering throughout the 2023 -2024 academic year. Niklas organized an average of two 2-hr volunteer sessions per month, with an average of 8 students at each event. While initially developing his own streamlined sign-up system for Athletic Department teams, he easily transitioned to our new Volunteer Opportunity platform, enabling students to register and sign our Confidentiality Agreement online prior to the event.
Under Niklas' supervision, the athletes generously donated their valuable time and eagerly assisted with any task we assigned.”

2022-2023 Recipient: Kylie Orf

“Kylie is the Student Director of BreakOut, an invaluable organization that helps get students involved with their community off campus , connecting people to causes they care about. She has promoted an engaged campus culture by increasing advertising for BreakOut, which has served as a connection between many students and the Collaborative for Community Engagement. She has prioritized student inclusivity and community to get students involved and keep community engagement a pleasant and fun experience. This year, her goals were to strengthen the sense of community within BreakOut, emphasize inclusion and getting new students more involved in community engagement."  

2020-2021 Recipient: Angelina Chen '21

"[Angelina] pulled together an extraordinary senior thesis, based upon her summer internship with an NGO for rural-to-urban migrant children – 'floating children,' as they are called – in Shenzhen, China. She focuses on a play the children themselves write and perform as themselves, and argues that this is simultaneously an awakening to their structural marginality (policy makes it very difficult to earn places in good public schools outside of parents’ home districts), but also happens in a context where they are deeply cared for and empowered to find their voices as citizens claiming educational rights.

"This, coupled with her leadership of SOIL (the student group focused on development, but also, in my view, a “cover” that allows them to engage repressive Chinese state politics in a way that flies under the radar), as well as her long-time engagement as a Bonner scholar (fellow?), make her a strong contender for recognition, in my view." - Sarah Hautzinger, Professor, Anthropology

2019-2020 Recipient: Kadin Mangalik '20

"[Kadin] has single-handedly mobilized more student engagement when it comes to elections than any other student on campus I believe! He has been elemental in organizing carpool shifts to go to the voting polls, having political candidates and reps come to campus, teaching younger students how to push CC's community to be more politically involved, and is a great all-around knowledgeable resource who will be contributing his knowledge to written documents that will live at the CCE in perpetuity." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2018-2019 Recipients: Charlotte Schwebel '21 and Elena Martinez-Vivot '21

"Over the past year, Charlotte has dedicated an incredible amount of time and energy to increasing voter turnout on campus. She is responsible for creating the vote video that was displayed on all campus screens during the election and the vote sign on Worner Quad. Charlotte helped in organizing the Ballots and Burritos event that provided information for students on ballot initiatives. She has a genuine passion for getting people to vote and her passion and persistence are inspiring. Charlotte recognizes the power in voting, and wants to ensure that all voices are heard." - Elena Martinez-Vivot '21

"In planning the City Council Debate, Elena effectively facilitated collaboration with the Collaborative for Community Engagement, student organizations, Residential Life and Campus Activities, Campus Safety, Audiovisual Support, the Fine Art Center, Speech and Debate, and the Music Department. She has also modeled democratic organizing by supporting the coalition in blockly political action open houses co-sponsored with other student organizations and the recent City Election Debate party/ballot drop-off initiative. The success of these events is a testament to Elena's dedication to mobilizing our campus to take action." - Jasmine Wallack, Civic Leadership Paraprofessional, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2017-2018 Recipient: Kyra Bergsund '18

"Kyra Bergsund has put in a tremendous amount of effort this year to bring to fruition the idea of the B-Side collective started by CC graduate Cy (formerly known as Eboni) Stathom. B-Side is a music collective for female, gender non-conforming, and queer/LGBTQIA+ students as a form of resistance against the cis-het white male-dominated music scene. Through the collective, students who are often left out of the typical music scene can collaborate and explore music in a safe space. The collective aims to bring a voice to the underrepresented artists at ºÚÁϳԹÏ. Cy started the collective with these goals in mind in 2016, and Kyra has established B-Side as an incredibly important and valuable group on campus. Kyra was a driving force behind setting up the new building for the collective. She has also put in the effort to bring underrepresented artists to campus and create the space that Cy had in mind. The collective brings together students with a wide variety of backgrounds and fills a need that CC's campus had." - Anonymous

Outstanding Student Initiative Award

This award honors an excellent student-led collaboration that exemplifies and inspires thoughtful community engagement to other students. This could be a student-led organization, event, project, campaign, or partnership.

2023-2024 Recipient: CC Reinvestment Coalition

“CC's Reinvestment Coalition members have worked tirelessly (and successfully!) this year to move the Board and our campus community toward divestment away from fossil fuels and toward successful climate-conscious investments. Their bold engagement with the Board of Trustees, the Office of the President, and the wider campus community have been consistent and impressive across this entire year (and in previous years); moreover the CC Reinvestment Coalition has done something that no other Divestment/Reinvestment group has yet done in the multiple decades such work has been ongoing: this school year, based on research from this coalition, the Board moved to divest from direct holdings from fossil fuels and committed to investigating more divestment/reinvestment directions in the future.  I wholeheartedly nominate them for this award, as I believe their advocacy was transformative and could be a model for student engagement for years to come.” 

2022-2023 Recipient: CC Science Outreach

“Student Organization, CC Science Outreach, with its 20 or so members, offers weekly hands-on science activities at three D11 after school enrichment clubs.  The schools, Adams, Midland and Trailblazer, have roughly 1120 students from grades kindergarten to fifth grade, that the club organizes the science activities, including supplies and learning the lessons.  The club work with groups of students on Fridays since December 2022.  The highlight of the group is the consistency they are offering to the students for the once a month activity as well as the  ethnic and gender diversity of the club.  Having college students act as role models is an added bonus and the reason why this club has made an impact of our students.” 

2021-2022 Recipient: Aprender Mediante Amistad (AMA)

"AMA is an amazing student organization that has really responded to the challenges of the pandemic as well as continuing to ensure their work is relevant and impactful for students. AMA has responded to recent D11 board member rhetoric by helping promote a rally that has the possibility of creating beneficial change in the local community while also uplifting the voices and struggles of students.”

2020-2021 Recipient: CC Mutual Aid

"[CC Mutual Aid] was able to quickly organize their efforts in order to respond to student needs during the pandemic. I've been so impressed by how well organized they are, and their continual support of students." - Elena Martinez-Vivot '21

2019-2020 Recipient: Mandarin Teaching Association, co-founded by Karla Iruegas '21 and Yurong Ye '22

"This year, my friend Yurong Ye and I co-founded this student-led organization. We were able to start the organization at 3 schools in 2 months…One of our goals is to show the children that learning a foreign language and multiculturalism is possible and beneficial…Students were exposed to Chinese culture, traditions, and customs. We showed them how to utilize chopsticks and talked about the importance of embracing and cherishing cultural diversity and tolerance…We are planning to restart next year in possibly four schools as soon as in-person classes restart…Our engagement with students boosts student confidence, and shows them their capacity to overcome obstacles and the possibility of being multilingual, multi-literate, and multicultural…We have strived to create a space where language learning and cultural awareness is developed through understanding, tolerance, open-mindedness and creativity." - Karla Iruegas '21

2018-2019 Recipient: Political Advocacy Coalition

"I would like to the CCE's Political Advocacy Coalition for their work on the Energy and Open Spaces Debate: A Town/Gown Collaborative. The debate exemplified thoughtful collaboration with on- and off-campus partners. On-campus, students worked with the Collaborative for Community Engagement, student organizations, Residential Life and Campus Activities, Campus Safety, Audiovisual Support, the Fine Art Center, Speech and Debate, and the Music Department. The coalition also worked closely with staff at the Colorado Springs Independent and with their peers at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Community College, to make the debate a shared project for diverse stakeholders in Colorado Springs. By gathering the input of so many different community members and mobilizing students, staff, and faculty at CC, the debate promoted civic engagement and served an important educational role for all Colorado Springs citizens who attended." - Jasmine Wallack, Civic Leadership Paraprofessional, Collaborative for Community Engagement

Public Problem-Solver

This award is presented to a student who is a change-maker in social and/or environmental realms, working to produce solutions to real-world social, civic, or environmental challenges of our world.

2023-2024: EmRhys Jenkins

“EmRhys has been a pivotal force in advocating for and addressing the needs of unhoused youth in our community. Their commitment to service and social justice is exemplified through their multifaceted efforts, which have made a significant impact on our community. As a keynote speaker for The PLACE's annual fundraiser, Off The Street Breakfast, Emrhys captivated an audience of over 800 people, shedding light on the challenges faced by unhoused youth and rallying support for initiatives aimed at addressing their needs while sharing their lived experience.
Emrhys's leadership extends beyond public speaking engagements. They are the founder of the on-campus club Allies of Unhoused Youth, which tirelessly works to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of unhoused individuals. Through this club, Emrhys has engaged stakeholders on campus and in the community, driving meaningful dialogue and action towards positive change. Allies of Unhoused Youth also provide a monthly home-cooked meal on site for our youth shelter residents.
In addition to their advocacy work, Emrhys actively participates in weekly Homeless Union meetings, amplifying the voices of youth experiencing homelessness and advocating for their rights. Their involvement in local policy discussions, including speaking at city council meetings, demonstrates their dedication to creating tangible solutions to address the housing crisis, specifically on the importance of The PLACE's groundbreaking 50 unit youth housing project, The Launch Pad located about 1 mile from ºÚÁϳԹÏ."

2022-2023: Luke Ortiz-Grabe

"Luke originally began working with Community Health Partnership as we kicked off our LGBTQIA2+ Health Equity Initiative. He joined us after a summer internship at One Colorado, and immediately helped connect our two organizations. This allowed us to get a significant jump-start in our LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment, which Luke worked to develop, test, and launch. The assessment closed on March 15th, and we had over 400 responses, thanks to his work. After the tragedy at Club Q on Nov. 19, 2022, Luke jumped right in as our organization pivoted to support survivors. His adaptability, drive, and willingness to jump in and problem solve has been invaluable to our team, and we are glad that he still has years left at CC!” 

2021-2022: Mazlyn Freier

During the summer program in 2021, Mazlyn conducted strategic research tied directly to Grassroots Leadership’s campaign to shut down the Hutto Detention Center given the center’s well documented, pervasive issues of sexual abuse, family separation, retaliation, medical neglect, inadequate food, and labor abuses.  Throughout the research process, Mazlyn demonstrated outstanding ability to effectively conduct outreach work with local government officials, small business and community organizational representatives, and organizers affiliated with the Shut Down Hutto campaign. She presented information clearly and translated complex ideas into accessible information for a wide range of participants. Throughout this project, Mazlyn worked effectively in group contexts revealing her ability to be an effective listener and appropriately assume leadership when required by assisting her team members as they needed.”  

2020-2021 Recipient: Anna Sofia Vera '22

"Anna is an involved, passionate student who has tapped into her creative agency this year while developing a tutoring program at Mitchell High School, one of the CCE's High Impact Partners, in close collaboration with the Vice-Principal and other school staff.

"As a Bonner Fellow and former club member of North ESL Tutors-- a student organization that worked with middle schoolers who were navigating classroom learning while also learning English as their second (or third) language-- Anna has a clear track record of engagement within the realm of education, however, this year's remote learning operations have caused unique challenges within this realm. Tutoring relies on a foundation of relationship-building to enhance student comprehension of class learning material, which has been significantly harder to achieve over Zoom, according to Anna and other students who have been pursuing this option to support K-12 youth in Colorado Springs. Anna has fostered conversations about these challenges with multiple on-campus and off-campus stakeholders, bringing together the CCE, the Education Department, and Stroud Scholars program, as well as staff members at Mitchell, to explore ways to build up tutor capacity and training for online efforts and troubleshoot in-classroom challenges. Developing a tutoring program in the face of COVID-19 has been no easy feat, though a worthwhile and commendable endeavor for Anna to have pursued and continue building on as more in-person options resume.

"The CCE recognizes Anna's work this year in generating on-campus action around tutor preparedness (like the launch of a new "Working with Youth" Canvas page which will be used to share tutoring and mentorship resources) and supporting Mitchell High School as a tutor and program leader throughout this chaotic year." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2019-2020 Recipient: Brita Mackey '22

"[Brita] has built great momentum on-campus to push for greater environmental activism efforts all around on campus, and is working to build more solidarity between CC and Colorado Springs on these efforts. She led the environmental march in December amongst other walk-ins and protests, continues to host bi-weekly meetings encouraging student activism (phone banking, email and letter writing, etc.) and community building during the time of COVID-19 remotely, and has huge goals to fight for the Green New Deal alongside fellow Sunrise organizers." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2018-2019 Recipient: Carly Cribbs '19

"Carly has, over her four years at CC, been deeply involved in civic engagement among students at this college, and has reflected that commitment in her engagement with political campaigns in Colorado Springs as well…This involved countless hours of interaction and engagement with the Colorado Springs community, on both the broader political scene and in individual engagement with voters. Beyond her personal responsibilities…Carly tirelessly engaged CC students in civic action, providing opportunities for them to canvass, learn more about Colorado Springs politics and the democratic process, and help encourage citizens of the Springs to vote in the primary elections. This commitment is reflected in her leadership in Volunteer Action and CC Democrats on campus, as she models how to be a civically engaged citizen and creates opportunities for fellow students to participate. While I believe Carly is also qualified as a Community Collaborator, I think that her mobilization to address young voters and her active involvement in meaningful, successful political campaigning speak to her qualifications as a public problem solver, by engaging students and community members in civic action to enact real change in our community." - Claire Derry '19

2017-2018 Recipient: Cole Simon '20

"Cole is part of the Quad's Social Services Access project team this semester, which was commissioned by El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs to design, test, and (hopefully) implement a solution to improve access to social services in the region. Cole works with a team of 9 other students, one other from CC, two each from PPCC and UCCS, and three from the US Air Force Academy. Cole has been instrumental in guiding the project through a very productive first semester. He frequently volunteers himself to complete the most challenging/least exciting - but still essential - aspects of the project's work from week to week and overwhelms us with his results…Beyond his excellent work ethic and commitment to doing what's necessary to accomplish our goal, Cole also challenges the entire team to do more, think bigger, and be better." - Jake Eichengreen, Executive Director, QUAD Innovation Partnership

Anabel and Jerry McHugh Director's Award

Established in 1996, The Anabel and Jerry McHugh Director's Award is presented to a graduating senior who has built the capacity of and advocated for the CCE.

2023-2024 Recipient: Jaxon Hoskinson

“Jaxon has committed his time at CC to building meaningful relationships both on and off campus. He worked as the Gender and Sexuality Issue Organizer for the CCE in 2022 and 2023. As an Issue Organizer Jaxon brought together student leaders, CC staff, and community partners engaged in gender and sexuality work to collaborate with one another. Through his outreach and coordination, a collaboration between The Butler Center, the Wellness Resource Center and community educators was forged to facilitate a Good Sex workshop series. During his time as an Issue Organizer, Jaxon also joined Inside Out Youth Services’ (IOYS) work in building access, equity, and power with LGBTQIA2+ youth as a member of their Safe at Schools Coalition. This connection has helped deepen CC’s relationship with IOYS and expanding opportunities for students to engage in meaningful community work. This past year Jaxon continued with the CCE Intern Team as one of three Student Directors of Communications. In this role Jaxon helped to expand the reach of our office on campus and elevate community engagement at CC. He will continue his path of creating a more just and equitable world through the Public Interest Fellowship Program working with IOYS this next year.”

2022-2023 Recipient: Gillian Lasher

“Gillian strives to lead a life of service, rooted in partnerships with communities and capacity-building work. Through her time at CC she has completed over 1200 hours of engagement. As a Junior she worked to create a documentary series with Food to Power through which she became only more determined to pursue a career in community-based development and non-profit work, to magnify voices and needs of those experiencing inequities. Gillian has been a strong advocate of the work of the CCE office through her intern roles and as a member of the CEL program. Gillian is collaborative, has strong communication skills and performs her work in a professional manner. She has helped build capacity for the CCE by providing constructive feedback and new ideas to help improve student programs, community partnerships and the advisory board.” 

2021-2022 Recipient: Sophie Cardin

"Sophie has done amazing work building up the CCE over her years here at CC. She helped bring me into the CCE's orbit, raised awareness and outreach on campus through all her work with CCSGA and her various clubs, and deserves to be recognized for her tireless efforts.”

"For the two years I have known Sophie, she has gone above and beyond for the CCE. As a student director for the CCE Co-op, she consistently makes herself available to support other student projects and events. She is not only an amazing asset to the CCE faculty and students but also an amazing friend who is willing to show up and help out. Sophie has poured so much time and energy into this school, and there is no doubt in my mind that she deserves this award.” 

2020-2021 Recipient: Martrice Ellis '21

"Martrice worked with a local school as a first-year student in the pilot program for the Bonner Fellowship, one of five students who paved the way for this program at ºÚÁϳԹÏ, and the only one who has remained consistently active up until her now senior year. The Bonner Fellowship began without any formal infrastructure aside from a new staff team at the CCE and an incoming group of students who would begin working in the community and learning and reflecting together along the way. Martrice has been working tirelessly for the Bonner Fellowship since the summer of 2020 to try and ensure that the program is supportive in the ways she would have wanted as a first-year, a commendable commitment made transformational through her problem-solving capabilities. On top of this, Martrice challenged herself to show up authentically in many different areas of work beyond the campus, growing into a well-loved and respected community member in Colorado Springs, and a role model for younger students in the Bonner program, a signature program of the CCE.

"Martrice has found her power in other areas of work, including The Collaborative Clay Club that she co-founded, which allows local LBTQIA+ youth to utilize the Bemis School of Art facilities and learn how to express themselves through art; the Llamapalooza and LoCCal music festival planning committees she serves on; the Safe@CC collective which she currently leads, geared towards shifting the culture of policing at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï and beyond; and last but not least, as a speaker on several Black Lives Matter panels and an advocate of a new non-profit advocating for social justice called the Chinook Community Center. While diverse in nature, Martrice brings an equity lens to all of the various types of work she does; she has been intentionally building on her public speaking, advocacy, networking, and collaboration skills to deepen her values-oriented work with the community. Martrice worked with a local school as a first-year student in the pilot program for the Bonner Fellowship, one of five students who paved the way for this program at ºÚÁϳԹÏ, and the only one who has remained consistently active up until her senior year. The Bonner Fellowship began without any formal infrastructure aside from a new staff team at the CCE and an incoming group of students who would begin working in the community and learning and reflecting together along the way. Martrice has been working tirelessly for the Bonner Fellowship since the summer of 2020 to try and ensure that the program is supportive in the ways she would have wanted as a first-year, a commendable commitment made transformational through her problem-solving capabilities. On top of this, Martrice challenged herself to show up authentically in many different areas of work beyond the campus, growing into a well-loved and respected community member in Colorado Springs, and a role model for younger students in the Bonner program, a signature program of the CCE.

"An anecdote that demonstrates her dedication to engagement relates to Martrice’s work in the community around the Black Lives Matter movement. Martrice began attending protests in the Colorado Springs area around the issues of police brutality in our own community, and through that process, became known by local organizers as a budding activist herself. Martrice was invited to speak at a community panel in Acacia Park, the youngest of all panelists, and bravely shared her own story and recommendations for what allies can do to better support people of color in this fight for justice for all. Afterward, members of the community and other panelists came up to her to affirm her words, and she began networking, getting more plugged in to this growing community of organizers. She was invited to another panel shortly after and has since taken up more work with the Chinook Community Center. By showing up, and practicing vulnerability by stepping into the spotlight, Martrice is paving her way as an outspoken advocate in the Colorado Springs community, a path that only few CC students are able to make time for and value. This story affirms Martrice’s dedication to building bridges between CC and off-campus communities, which is representative of the work the CCE seeks to support." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2019-2020 Recipient: Madeline Ng '20

"Madeline serves as the Community Engagement Programs Intern for the Collaborative for Community Engagement Office at ºÚÁϳԹÏ, which seeks to promote a culture of investment in the public good through the co-creation of learning experiences both on and beyond the campus. She has been under my supervision as the CCE's Civic Leadership Paraprofessional while planning, facilitating, and improving our student-facing work since the late summer of 2019…[Her] position in our office this year was the result of a merger of two different student positions, and so she has been tasked with more responsibility than any other student before her. To our amazement, Madeline has not only been able to keep up with a very dense workload but also free up the capacity of other staff members in the office, including me. She has been an unbelievable asset to our team this year, and in years past, proving herself over and over again with her unique enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to making sure fellow students are meaningfully engaging both on campus and with partners beyond campus, as explained in the following paragraph. Madeline has easily become one of our most cherished student staff- her warm personality and contagious laugh are representative of her wonderful, friendly, and loving disposition.

"Madeline utilizes her meticulous organization and interpersonal skills when planning out weekly check-in meetings with staff members and students, co-facilitating orientations and leader trainings, planning weekend and block break trips, and contacting community partners for the BreakOut student organization, and tracking and advising students in our Community Engaged Scholars program. Perhaps most importantly, however, Madeline has become an ambassador for the work of our office, for engagement in every sense of the word, since attending her first Saturday BreakOut trip. She has created and built, throughout her entire CC career, a community of students centered around compassion, joy, and commitment, and a structure for engagement opportunities for these students that will last well beyond her time here…Getting to know Madeline has been a highlight for me this year; she is truly an amazing human being, with strong ambitions and even stronger character." - Sophia Pray '19, Civic Leadership Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2018-2019 Recipient: Bryn Morgan '19

"There are few students I have worked with within my capacity as Assistant Director of the CCE who have built and expanded the capacity of the office to do intentional and meaningful community work as Bryn Morgan.

"I first meet Bryn in her capacity as a student in the Youth Empowerment Half Block course led by Dr. Eric Popkin and Dr. Tina Valtierra. Bryn's deep commitment to working with youth at Mitchell High School was clear throughout the course, which centered on the Public Achievement organizing model. Bryn led by example among her peers, not just by speaking and organizing in group spaces, but by doing the less glamorous administrative tasks associated with running a complex program with many moving parts. She assisted in renting vehicles, ensuring that student groups had the proper materials to facilitate discussions, and was always present regardless of the many commitments she maintained.

"Seeing in Bryn the hallmarks of an excellent peer leader, I asked her to consider serving as a Team Lead in the CCE's PA program for the 2018-2019 academic year. The ask was a tall order. The CCE was preparing to develop the first curriculum to guide the PA program at CC, and there was no precedent for team leads in recent years - meaning there were few models and guideposts for Bryn to follow. Additionally, Bryn took on the responsibility for expanding the CCE's PA program from the more comfortable and accessible site at North Middle School to Mitchell High School.

"Bryn quickly and seemingly effortlessly assumed her role as a Team Lead and, quite literally, defined what this role would mean for the students that followed in her footsteps. Bryn was a partner in planning the curriculum, along with our PA Intern and partners at the United Way, and she took on a brand new and difficult classroom at Mitchell High School with aplomb. Additionally, Bryn managed two classrooms at North Middle School - bringing her total workload to 3 classrooms weekly throughout the academic year. Bryn assisted in recruiting coaches to fill these spots and assisted in growing the CCE PA program from 5 coaches in 2017-2018 to more than 30 coaches and team leads in the 2018-2019 academic year.

"As a Team Lead for the CCE's Public Achievement program, Bryn has expanded the vision of what is possible for community engagement at ºÚÁϳԹÏ. She shaped the curriculum that will underwrite PA adjunct training in the years to come, and she quite literally defined the role of Team Lead for the leaders that will follow her. Bryn expanded the capacity of the PA program to lead youth organizing in multiple schools in District 11, a phenomenal feat for a senior in College. For these reasons, and for her many additional contributions to community engagement at ºÚÁϳԹÏ, I humbly nominate Bryn Morgan for the Annabel and Jerry McHugh Director's award. I can think of no other student that has contributed so deeply to the future success of a hallmark CCE program than Bryn." - Anthony Siracusa, Assistant Director, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2017-2018 Recipient: Talia Worth '18

"In Talia's senior year she promoted the CCE to all students on campus. She helped lead the community engaged scholars program and promoted the program to all students around campus. She also met one on one with students to help them figure out ways to increase their community engagement. Additionally, she has been a part of CCLIM for four years and a co-chair for three years. She also served on the CCE Student Advisory Board and was part of the Community Engaged Leadership Certificate program.

"As a Junior, Talia served as the Community Engagement Chair for Outdoor Recreation Club. She also helped coordinate National Eating Disorder Awareness week and organized and implemented a full week of campus-wide programming for NEDA week including guest speakers, workshops, and body-positive activities. As a Residential Advisor, Talia provided workshops with hall to understand how to engage in the community intentionally and helped residents get more involved in the CCE.

"Overall, Talia has dedicated much of her CC time to encouraging more students to get involved with the CCE through many different avenues, whether through the Community Engaged Scholar Program, clubs, mental health awareness weeks, or information sessions. She is someone who has increased the number of people engaging with the community in an intentional and informed way." - Amy Bolton '19

2016-2017 Recipient: Emma Brachtenbach '17

"I haven't known Emma for very long, but in the short time I've known her, she has been instrumental in the CC Farm Intern program maintaining success even while there is not a permanent staff member to lead the intern transition. When she was an intern on the farm two years ago, she learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work and remained positive despite a somewhat difficult summer. So positive that she wanted to come back as a Lead Farm Intern, and led the team last summer in being more thoughtful and proactive about partnerships with our local community last summer. For example, the farm interns started working with local non-profit Urban Peak to help the non-profit build its own capacity as a food producer. This year, even though it was not required, Emma remained involved with the CC Farm, which was especially helpful after the Program Coordinator who worked with the farm last summer left. Emma became someone the CCE staff could rely on for not only historical references but also as someone to brainstorm with and come up with new ideas to make the farm even better for the future. Emma full-heartedly believes in the farm's ability to cultivate community around food and continues to offer her expertise and her optimism as the farm intern program grows and improves. Without her guidance and can-do attitude, I truly believe that the CCE would not have been able to sustain the positive momentum around the farm with all of the staff transitions we've experienced. The CC Farm has the potential to be a powerful agent of change on campus and in the community, and without Emma, I truly believe the CCE would have missed an opportunity to capitalize on the success last year, and to get even closer to that potential this year." - Ally Veneris, Youth & Education Program Coordinator, Collaborative for Community Engagement

2015-2016 Recipient: Cassie Prouty '16

"Cassie has been an exceptional leader of two student organizations in the CCE, AMA, and VA while being committed to her academics and other activities at CC (e.g. dance team). She was an integral part of VA's continued success and history as CC's longest service-based student organization - taking over leadership during a time when there was no leader and the fate of the group looked grim. As a leader of AMA, Cassie worked closely with one of the K-12 participants to navigate the process of applying to colleges. This included going above and beyond by helping the student study for the ACT, driving with the student to attend college open houses, completing admission applications, and applying for financial aid and scholarships, to name a few. She has led 2 K-12 Exchange meetings and attended the majority of K-12 meetings throughout her time as a leader in the CCE. In transitioning to new leaders who will take over for her next year, she has done a phenomenal job of making sure that the incoming leaders are well prepared and ready to continue building on the partnership/work of the organization. She has provided wonderful feedback and has been a great resource in promoting the CCE and the connection between CC and the Colorado Springs community. Cassie will be going on to grad school at DU next year and will be missed greatly." - Anonymous

2014-2015 Recipient: Rebecca Celli '15

"Rebecca Celli is a current senior and a four-year member of the Community Engaged Leadership cohort. Over the past four years, Rebecca has been actively involved in the cohort, advising capstone projects and fostering partnerships with community members.

"The culmination of Rebecca's commitment to the CCE was her capstone project: the "Silenced Film Series." The four-part series focused on social injustice in the film industry by highlighting films and filmmakers who had been silenced by government censorship, the Hollywood establishment, or the marginalization of certain narratives in popular culture. The series brought in renowned filmmakers and theorists and encouraged conversation amongst community members.

"The program was brought to life through a partnership with various organizations in the CC community (graphics research lab, films for justice, the Sociology department, the Film and Media program, CEL, and the inclusion of CC alumna Holly Carter), the Colorado Springs community (Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Community Prep School, Rocky Mountain Women's Film Institute, the Colorado Springs Gazette) and the film community around the country (Tia Lessin the renowned filmmaker of Citizen Koch, and Melissa Silverstein, a feminist film blogger). The project, its integration of academics, arts, and social justice, as well as its inclusion of the local community, perfectly represents the mission of the CCE. She brought Tia Lessin to my Art and Society class and we had an amazing discussion led by Rebecca that my students were discussing throughout the rest of the block.

"At all four events, the rooms were packed with people from CC and the outside community. The events fostered conversations about social issues impacting the film world. It was a huge success representing Rebecca's commitment to Sociology and Film (her fields of study) and service work." - Kathy Giuffre, Professor, Sociology Department