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Flowers decorated the tables in the Hill this past Monday night as the sixth annual Herstory Dinner and Awards Celebration was held, honoring influential women who have made a difference around the LMU campus. The majority of the guests, which were present at the event were indeed women, but this didn't stop the few men in attendance from honoring the female awardees.
The night began with an opening from Dean of Students Dr. Linda McMurdock. "This year's national theme, 'Generations of Women Moving History Forward,' is meant to honor the many generations of women who, with their amazing intelligence, talent, courage and tenacity, testify to the myriad of ways the generations of women have moved history forward," said McMurdock.
McMurdock highlighted three events put on by the Marymount Institute that took place this year for Women's History Month, commenting on the amazing inspiration behind the events. Kat Soto, a 2007 Herstory Award nominee, developed the event "Hear Her Roar," a day and a half workshop focusing on resilient strategies to empower first-year women.
Sable Manson, the 2007 student representative for the Committee on the Status of Women, developed "Claiming Her Voice: Women's Words Throughout Her-Story," which informed listeners about how women have used their voices to move communities forward through history using spoken word, literature and drama.
The philanthropic effort of the year was the "Celebrate Our Genes" campaign, led by Student Psychological Services and the Center for Service and Action. This campaign collected approximately 100 pairs of jeans that were then donated to the downtown women's shelter, the homeless project of Boyle Heights and the Covenant House of Hollywood.
The first woman honored was the recipient of the Committee on the Status of Women American Association of University Women Award. Raquel Castellanos was the recipient of the award this year. She is a member of the LMU basketball team, and will have the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. this summer for a leadership conference in conjunction with the award.
Dr. Gail Buck, the Director of the Office of Black Student Services, presented Castellanos, a senior political science major and psychology and Asian and Pacific Studies double minor, with the award.
"This year's CSW recipient -- she illuminates a room when she walks in. She has said that she does not want life to be limited, but rather try different routes related to helping others. Dr. [Wayne] Le Cheminant [Assistant Professor of Political Science] describers her as one of the top three students he has ever had the opportunity to work with since he's been teaching," comment Buck on Castellanos.
The next three women honored were the women of the night, as they were given the three Herstory Awards. Ellen Ensher, an associate professor in the School of Business Administration, was awarded the faculty Herstory Award. Ensher, who is one of the most sought after teachers in the School of Business, also co-authored a book about mentoring, titled "Power Mentoring."
"She is a role model through her actions, her writings and her teachings, encouraging students to go beyond what they realize they can achieve. She helps women not only in the LMU community, but in the community at large," said Linda Rose, a career counselor with Career Development Services, who presented Ensher with her award.
The next woman awarded was Michelle Ko, the director of Asian Pacific Student Services, who was recognized for her promotion of diversity on campus and being a positive role model for students.
Marshall Sauceda, the Associate Vice President for Intercultural Affairs, presented Ko with her award. "Over the past five years, I've had the privilege of working with Michelle, and I've come to respect her work as an outstanding colleague and appreciate her personally as a role model for other women. She has been an incredibly positive influence on the younger women she has served," said Sauceda.
The last woman honored of the night was the student honoree, Natalie Nordseth, editor in chief of the Loyolan.
"I've had the pleasure of knowing Natalie for the entirety of her distinguished career," said Tom Nelson, director of student media, which includes the Loyolan, ROAR network and Tower Yearbook, who presented Nordseth with her award. "She has an amazing self-confidence in her abilities and gifts."
Nelson also commented on all of the honorees, saying, "We're honoring the very worthy award recipients, all of them tonight, for their considerable contributions to the LMU community and the world beyond."
