The Leadership Program at California State University, Fresno, has recognized organizations and individuals at the fifth annual Leadership Awards Reception marking accomplishments during the 2005-06 academic year. The following awards were honored at the May 10 ceremony:
Outstanding Leadership Development – Amerasia Club, which sponsored a week of events in March that promoted awareness about Asian Americans in California, focusing on Hmong, Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander cultures.
Outstanding Educational Event – Anthropology Club, which organized and sponsored Anthropology Day to acquaint the community with international disasters through the perspectives of local relief workers and victims.
Outstanding Cultural Event – Cineculture Club, which has benefited the campus and surrounding community by teaching others about a variety of cultures through a weekly film series that was followed by a question-and-answer session.
Outstanding Campus Involvement – San Joaquin Literary Association, which coordinated events that brought noted authors such as Edward Falco, Manuel Munoz and Joyce Carol Oates to campus. Their presentations helped enrich the experience for English students and the greater San Joaquin Valley community.
Outstanding Citizenship – National Coalition Building Institute, which helps the campus and community reduce racial tensions and work together in welcoming diversity on and off campus through prejudice-reduction workshops, training sessions and panel discussions.
Outstanding Leaders – Simon Haeder and Jason Jones. Haeder is a two-time Maddy scholar, a member of the inaugural Leaders of Tomorrow program and president of the Residence Hall Association. He founded three campus honor societies. Jones is president of the Kinesiology Pedalogy club, a student coordinator for commencement, works with troubled youth and was the Vintage Days student director.
Outstanding Student Leader and Service Award – Melissa Dittmer, who has been involved in numerous service projects that benefited Children’s Hospital Central California and Hurricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast. Dittmer coordinated a regional Student Civic Engagement Conference and launched the first London Semester service learning project.
Outstanding Adviser Award – Dr. Wade Gilbert, an assistant professor of kinesiology, who has been a leader in development of a School-based Healthy Activities Program for Exercise, promoting youth fitness in the community. He was selected by Dr. Jeronima Echeverria, provost and vice president for academic affairs, as one of this year’s promising new faculty for his community service and his contributions to scholarship on the subject through a variety of publications.
The Leaders of Tomorrow program also recognized two dozen students who participated in a group service project, spent at least 20 hours on a campus or community committee, event of service project and attended monthly workshops and a retreat to hone leadership skills.
The honorees, who received a $100 gift card from program sponsor Target Stores, are: Michael Adams, political science, Ashik Ahmed, business administration; Tristan Bufete, political science and economics; Angelina Carrasco, biology; Gabriel Carrasco, biology; Ser Cha, liberal studies; Derek Daniels, business administration; Patrick Donnelly, business administration; Christine Fuller, recreation administration; Noah Garcia, social work; Elizabeth Gutierrez, chemistry; Haeder, political science; Brianne Jackson, biology; Jones, kinesiology; Cyndi Kobi-Laccruche, business administration; Morgan McDonald, political science and history; Yliana Nevarez, business administration; Aida Romero, liberal studies; Mariela Romero, business administration; Christopher Storelli, political science and philosophy; and Katherine Yeffa, liberal studies.
The program also is sponsored by Associated Students, Student Affairs and the Student Activities and Leadership Development office.
For more information, contact Josh Edrington at 559.278.7254 or Molly Fagundes at 559.278.7919.
