The 11th cohort of Outstanding Women of Color awardees will be honored at a reception on Tuesday, March 5 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge of the Pyle Center, the University of Wisconsin has announced.
In a campus tradition dating back to 2007-2008, the celebration of women who share their exceptional scholarship with the campus and community through their dedicated work, outreach and impact was an outgrowth of a similar award launched by UW System in 1994.
“After years of celebrating extraordinarily talented honorees and acknowledging the many more who are nominated, there is still an incredible number of campus and community candidates who need to know we value your exceptional work and dedicated service,” said Patrick J. Sims, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion, in a statement. “This annual reception is a wonderful opportunity to call out just a few of the many women who work tirelessly and selflessly without ever asking for praise or recognition. For this reason and others, it’s a privilege to celebrate their tenacity, strength and wisdom.”
This year’s five honorees include:
· Bianca Baldridge, Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies, School of Education;
· Mariela Quesada Centeno, Graduate Student, Human Development & Family Studies, School of Human Ecology; Director, Wellness Program, Centro Hispano;
· Jennifer Young Choe Edgoose, Associate Professor (CHS), Family Medicine & Community Health, School of Medicine & Public Health;
· Melissa Metoxen, Academic Support Coordinator for the Native American Center for Health Professions, School of Medicine and Public Health;
The UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards acknowledge and honor women of color among UW-Madison faculty, staff, students (undergraduate or post-baccalaureate) and in the Greater Madison community, who have made outstanding contributions in one or more of the following areas:
· Social justice, activism and advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged, marginalized populations;
· Community service;
· Scholarly research, writing, speaking and/or teaching on race, ethnicity and indigeneity in U.S. society, and;
· Community building on- or off-campus, to create an inclusive and respectful environment for all.
In 2007, UW-Madison launched an annual program of awards to women of color for outstanding service in higher education following in the footsteps of the UW System, which began their program of celebrating such women in 1994. More than 50 UW-Madison women of color have been honored in the past decade. Dozens more have been nominated for recognition by their campus and community colleagues and friends.
The event to celebrate this year’s honorees is open to the campus and community. To register for this year’s event, go to Outstanding Women of Color Reception. For a full list of past honorees, click here.
