May 26, 2010

Heart, Mind, and Spirit Awards: Celebrating Peer Leaders, Educators and Community

Under the sponsorship of Darden Restaurants, the Northern California region held its first ever regional awards ceremony on May 26, 2010. Nearly 200 Peer Leaders, parents, educators, and College Summit supporters gathered at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Oakland’s Jack London Square. We celebrated whole school achievements, announced the 2010 Wall of Honor winners, and honored Educators of the Year, all while breaking bread together as a regional community. The evening of celebration culminated with our Peer Leader awards, acknowledging their work towards creating college-going culture in their schools.

 Read more about our Educator and Peer Leader Award winners below!

 

Damien Basey as Superman 

  

Oakland High Peer Leaders

Educators of the Year

An awards ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of the school year could not be complete without acknowledging those who stay up late reading essays or stay after school helping students with homework. Very early in our planning, the region shifted from just being Peer Leader awards to being more inclusive and embracing the accomplishments of the community. “The Bay Area as a whole tends to live out the saying, it takes a village, we’re not perfect in the least but we definitely have a strong community feel when it comes to education access and justice. Out of this it only seemed natural and appropriate to honor the very hard work our partner educators take part in every single day,” said Diedra Barber Love, Program Manager for College Summit Northern California.

The regional staff has the privilege of working with an outstanding group of 90 educators in Oakland, San Francisco, Stockton and East Palo Alto. When Barber Love was asked what’s special about the Northern California educators she said, “They are so dedicated to their students, families and overall school communities. I’ve known them to be on campus as the sun rises till the sun sets. They show up for additional trainings and meetings and conversations so that they can better support their students and families in their post secondary planning and dreams. Educator trainings with northern California educators are always energizing, inspiring, fun, thoughtful, and insightful. They are the foundation and deserve daily celebration and respect.”

With so many wonderful educators it was a daunting task to pick those who would be honored with the Educator of the Year award. The committee judged the nominations based on how much educators used the following tools: College Summit class and the Navigator curriculum, CSNav, and trained Peer Leaders. They also considered how these educators contributed to the school’s college going culture overall, and how they stand out in the work they do every day. 

The finalists for College Summit Advisor of the year were Afreen Malim (Youth Empowerment School), Scott Sanchez (Benjamin Holt) and Lisa Shafer (Media). Scott Sanchez took home the plaque for this award, along with a gift certificate from The Olive Garden. His Peer Leaders stood in applause when Sanchez’ name was announced.

Ben Holt Peer Leaders and Scott Sanchez

The finalists for the College Summit Coordinator of the Year were Leslie Hsu (June Jordan School for Equity), Lisa Osmanian (Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy), Dr. LuPaulette Taylor (BEST) and Ana Vasquez (Mandela Law and Public Service Academy). The committee was torn with this group and in the end Lisa Osmanian and Ana Vasquez shared this honor. They too received plaques and gift certificates to The Olive Garden.

   

Leora Wolf-Prusan and Lisa Osmanian 

 

       Ana Vasquez, Robin Glover, and Michael Hearron

Congratulations to all our partner educators and thank you for your dedication!

Peer Leader Values Awards
The Peer Leader Awards were based on College Summit’s four values. These values are The Heart of a Great Teacher, The Mind of an Innovator, and The Spirit of an Inspired Student. The Peer Leader of the Year is the student who embodies heart, mind and spirit. Peer Leaders were nominated by educators and students. The winners were decided by a committee of five individuals who were not only looking for the number of nominations but the quality of the nomination. Read more about our winners below!

 

Nick Valmores was awarded the Heart of a Great Teacher award for constantly supporting peers and teachers. Lisa Shafer, Media Academy teacher, was one of Valmores’ nominators. She wrote, “One senior said to me, ‘Nick is not just the go-to person, he’s the person who will go to you.’ In other words, Nick is proactive in helping other students who don’t even know they need his help. ‘Whenever everyone else is stressed, Nick helps by staying calm and positive,’ said that same senior.”

 

Nick Valmores with Lisa Shafer

 

Parysh Ja’Nice was awarded the Mind of an Innovator award for constantly finding opportunity in obstacles. Fellow Far West student, Danielle Ramsey nominated Parysh. She wrote, “Parysh has also been a great help to students filling out College applications, registering for the SAT and ACT dates, and offering information and advice for fixing problems on applications after they have already been submitted.”

 

Parysh Ja’Nice and Danielle Ramsey

 

Jesus Gonzalez was also awarded the Mind of an Innovator award for constantly finding opportunity in obstacles. Lisa Osmanian is a counselor at Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy and nominated Jesus. She wrote, “Jesus had volunteered for our Clean Slate event that we had in September for our 9th grade students. We have had difficulty engaging our 9th grade boys, however, Jesus spoke to them during the event and the experiences he had at WP. He also stressed the importance of working hard and viewing college as an option in the future.”

 

Lisa Osmanian and Jesus Gonzalez

 

Alexandria Bridgett was awarded the Spirit of an Inspired Student Award. Dr. LuPaulette Taylor, a long-time educator at BEST nominated Bridgett. “Each school day morning, a burst of sunshine enters my room at 7:30 A.M. in the form of whirl wind of positivity and purpose called Alexandria Bridgett. One student had disappeared-stopped coming to classes- and Alex was very concerned. Alex took it upon herself to visit the student’s home with me to reach out and get her back to school. We stayed for two hours and finally got to the real reason the student was on the verge of giving up. The student returned the next day and has been on task since.”

 

Alexandria Bridgett and Dr. Taylor

 

Finally, Marianna Ballesteros was recognized as Peer Leader of The Year. Marianna demonstrated the Heart of a Great Teacher, Mind of an Innovator, and the Spirit of an Inspired Student. Sameer Sampat, Youth Empowerment School Teacher, wrote in his nomination that “83% of our senior class applied to 4-year colleges, Marianna had a significant part in making this happen.” Counselor Hilary Hayes of Youth Empowerment school also nominated Marianna. “When students are struggling she will sit right there with them and walk them through what they are working on, from FAFSA to college applications to decision making. For example, she helped another student make a list of benefits to choose between two schools and will tell students when she thinks they are going down the wrong path.”

 

Marianna Ballesteros and Sameer Sampat

 

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you to the 2010 Awards Selection Committee: Jeff Camp, Paul Collins, Michael Magnaye, Ramona Herrera Reeves, Nhi Truong!