{"id":2350,"date":"2020-07-01T18:38:14","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T18:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/?page_id=2350"},"modified":"2024-02-29T20:02:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T20:02:33","slug":"2020recipients","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/alumniawards\/2020recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 Alumni Award Recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>These nine alumni were be honored by the Macalester community at the Grand Celebration: Reunion Kick-Off event on Saturday, July 18, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The 2021 Award Recipients will be announced soon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distinguished Citizen Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Distinguished Citizen Award recognizes alumni who have exercised leadership in civic, social, religious, and professional activities. It is given because the Macalester community believes that a college education should be the training and inspiration for unselfish and effective service to the community, the nation, and the world. Recipients demonstrate a practical acceptance of these obligations in their lives and work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kwame Amet Tsikata &#8217;05<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"841\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266-1024x841.jpg\" alt=\"Kwame Amet Tsikata [M.anifest] \" class=\"wp-image-2393 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266-1024x841.jpg 1024w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266-300x246.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266-768x631.jpg 768w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266-1536x1262.jpg 1536w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/unnamed-1-scaled-e1594162321266.jpg 1753w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>When Kwame Amet Tsikata [M.anifest] returned to Ghana, the internationally acclaimed hip hop artist put on a free concert for the neighborhood he grew up in. \u201cBeing able to have 5,000 to 10,000 people experience a free concert, a lot of whom wouldn\u2019t be able to afford it, brought vibrancy to the neighborhood,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;After majoring in economics at Macalester, M.anifest went on to win&nbsp;<em>City Pages<\/em>\u2019 Best Songwriter in the Twin Cities, release five solo albums, and collaborate with superstars like Erykah Badu, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz), and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). The&nbsp;<em>Guardian UK<\/em>&nbsp;has described M.anifest as \u201cthe foremost rapper on the [African] continent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>His accomplishments extend beyond music. M.anifest uses his platform to promote social good and advance the arts. As a UNICEF ambassador, M.anifest works to improve the lives of adolescent girls, tackling issues like anemia, child marriage, and gender-based violence. Through his work with Impact Hub, M.anifest raises funds for people in Ghana to pursue creative projects. \u201cAs someone who has a young fan base, it\u2019s important to not just entertain, but also push resources to enable folks to develop tools and skills,\u201d he says. He co-founded Giant Steps in Minneapolis, an interactive conference for artists and entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMacalester put a premium on genuine connections,\u201d says M.anifest. \u201cThat was pivotal for deepening my relationships with people from different parts of the world. Fostering a world with greater cooperation begins with that kind of micro level individual connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Distinguished Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xq8XD1lkoco?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kury Cobham \u201990<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"958\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/FB_IMG_1586160605703-e1593629688868-958x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Kury Cobham\" class=\"wp-image-2378 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/FB_IMG_1586160605703-e1593629688868-958x1024.jpg 958w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/FB_IMG_1586160605703-e1593629688868-281x300.jpg 281w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/FB_IMG_1586160605703-e1593629688868-768x821.jpg 768w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/FB_IMG_1586160605703-e1593629688868.jpg 1395w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 958px) 100vw, 958px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cKury Cobham \u201990 represents the best that Macalester has to offer,\u201d writes her nominator. \u201cShe is tireless, optimistic, fun-loving, competent, and brave. She has been a wonderful ambassador for Macalester and the United States for over 30 years.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now country director for the United States Peace Corps in Fiji, Cobham has devoted her life to making much of the world better. Prior to her placement in Fiji, she served the Peace Corps for three years as country director in Guyana. Her career has afforded her as well placements in Nepal and South Sudan, and as a World Bank grant operations officer, among other positions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Cobham, who grew up in New York and North Carolina, says \u201cthe journey that brought me to Mac was my earliest confirmation that I loved and was thrilled by the unknown\u2026This was my opportunity to experience something different.\u201d A Spanish major, Cobham says \u201cMacalester was a critical piece to the foundation and start of my 30-year global journey.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following graduation, Cobham served as a Peace Corps volunteer for four years in Equatorial Guinea and Namibia. After earning a master\u2019s degree in international affairs from Columbia University in 1998, she resumed her global career.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Macalester Doty 5 \u201csisters\u201d Lynn Gerdees, Miriam Levy, Michelle Morphew, Chris Weller, and Dina Wilderson remain close friends to this day, says Cobham. She also credits Thaddeus Wilderson, Dina\u2019s father and then director of the Department of Multicultural Affairs, for early support:&nbsp; \u201cWhen I experienced tough financial times that could have ended my career at Mac, he guided me to stay the course.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cobham says she\u2019s most proud of aiding and supporting the improved livelihoods of marginalized people throughout the world. \u201cI have lived and worked in over 15 developing countries covering four continents,\u201d she says. \u201cAll of this travel has confirmed to me that even with diverse languages and culture, people are people no matter where you go. They want and need to be seen, heard, understood, respected, and valued. You show this to anyone in the world, you will get much more than you\u2019d ever expect in return, no matter where your travels take you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Distinguished Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ptF_1qVh-Bo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Arda Kuran &#8217;05<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894-1024x1020.jpg\" alt=\"Arda Kuran\" class=\"wp-image-2389 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894-1024x1020.jpg 1024w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894-768x765.jpg 768w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/UNHCR-EGITIM-SETI_23-scaled-e1594161370894.jpg 1388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cHumanitarian work has been my calling since a very early age,\u201d says Arda Kuran. A native of Cyprus, Arda grew up in a country marked by conflict and displacement. After majoring in political science and French at Macalester and earning a master\u2019s degree in International Security in the UK, Arda worked in political affairs with the U.S. government, with a focus on Cyprus peace negotiations, and then in public affairs in Brussels. But for Arda, it wasn\u2019t enough. \u201cPolitical settlements may take forever,\u201d he says. \u201cThe constant suffering of people who are affected by conflict endure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Driven by a desire to work directly with those most in need, and encouraged by his former boss at the U.S. State Department,&nbsp;<strong>Jane Zimmerman \u201984<\/strong>, Arda took a field job with the UN refugee agency, deploying to a duty station on the Syrian-Turkish border. In the years that followed, first with UNHCR and then with UNICEF, he worked in refugee camps in Turkey and with internally displaced people in Iraq, helping conflict-affected people, especially refugee and displaced children, access basic assistance and protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now at the Danish Refugee Council, Arda is a regional coordinator for East Africa and the Great Lakes, where he travels between nine countries and supports protection interventions for conflict and displacement affected communities. \u201cComing from a small island, where your worth is mainly judged by your profession, running around in the field doing humanitarian work may not be seen as the most worthwhile career,\u201d Arda says. But for someone who has that kind of calling, \u201cMacalester instilled in me that this is an important, urgent and viable vocation, and it must be pursued.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Distinguished Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2wJcEsQNiok?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">James Ochi &#8217;80<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/2017_SD-HEADSHOTS_FORWEB-scrubs2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"James Ochi\" class=\"wp-image-2391 size-full\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cIt goes back to my dad,\u201d says Dr. Jim Ochi, whose father Shigeru Ochi graduated from Macalester in 1949. Unable to find room in the dorms, Shig struck a deal with Macalester: stoke the furnace in exchange for a cot in Bigelow\u2019s basement. \u201cMacalester gave him an opportunity and he ended up earning a scholarship to MIT,\u201d Ochi says. His parents saved so Ochi could attend Macalester without incurring debt. He figured the least he could do was earn A\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A biology major with a concentration in chemistry, Ochi was struck by the diversity of Macalester\u2019s student body. \u201cThat helped me as a physician because patients come from all walks of life,\u201d he says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went on to medical school at the Mayo Clinic. Now a pediatric otolaryngologist, his accomplishments range from groundbreaking research on acupuncture as a way to reduce postoperative pain to digitizing his practice in the 1990s, a cost-saving technique that allowed him to serve low-income patients.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ochi has dedicated his life to treating underserved patients. Every Friday, he drove two hours from San Diego to El Centro, an impoverished and polluted desert community with rampant ear, nose, and throat problems. On medical missions to Africa and southeast Asia, Ochi served as a physician and photographer to recruit sponsors for children in orphanages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Bible says, \u2018To whom much is given, much is expected,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI need to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Distinguished Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kf6-dc4vJNg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ginny Strand &#8217;70<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"210\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/Strand-outside-351x185-2.jpg\" alt=\"Ginny Strand\" class=\"wp-image-2375 size-full\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cI happen to have chosen a wonderful profession,\u201d says Virginia Strand \u201970 of her career in social work.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For 32 years as a professor in the Graduate School of Social Services at Fordham University, Strand has significantly advanced graduate education and professional training in the field of social work as it pertains to evaluation and treatment of trauma resulting from child abuse and neglect, sexual and domestic abuse.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At Macalester, a study abroad trip to Taiwan changed Strand\u2019s thinking, and her future. The international studies major lived with a host family and became fluent enough in Chinese to travel around alone by bus. \u201cIt opened me up to different ways of being, and made me more empathetic towards those who didn\u2019t have as much,\u201d she says. That experience, coupled with later meeting some social workers who \u201creally liked their work,\u201d put Strand on her path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During her career, Strand founded and directed two different centers focused on education and professional development. In 1988, she founded the Children and Families Institute for Research, Support and Training (Children FIRST). In 2009, she co-founded the National Center for Social Work Trauma Education and Workforce Development. Both centers continue to thrive and collectively have reached thousands of professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strand credits Macalester history and media studies professor Jerry Fisher with encouraging what she calls her radical thinking about challenging the status quo. \u201cI was an innovator in my academic career, always coming up with new ways to teach or to provide service delivery,\u201d she says. \u201cThat came out of my experience at Mac of wanting things to change and feeling like things could be different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Strand, the proud mother of an adult daughter, is focusing her thinking on politics to \u201cget people elected who can create change.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Distinguished Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9gyKLvL4tHo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Young Alumni Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have graduated in the past 15 years. This award pays tribute to those who are making an effective contribution to the communities in which they live, or moving forward rapidly in their careers, and living the kind of unselfish, caring life for which their Macalester education prepared them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abaki Beck &#8217;15<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/AbakiBeck-1024x842.jpg\" alt=\"Abaki Beck\" class=\"wp-image-2373 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/AbakiBeck-1024x842.jpg 1024w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/AbakiBeck-300x247.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/AbakiBeck-768x632.jpg 768w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/AbakiBeck.jpg 1330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever met Abaki Beck \u201915,\u201d writes her nominator, \u201cyou know that she is a powerhouse. Abaki holds her communities and herself to high standards, calling out injustice and hypocrisy in discussions of equity, racism, and multiculturalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abaki\u2019s latest step in that work is completing a master in public health program at Washington University in St. Louis. Her interest in public health emerged at Macalester, during her American studies honors project on youth suicide on Montana\u2019s Blackfeet Reservation, where much of her family lives. \u201cI realized that a lot of the social justice issues I cared about were related to health equity,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to serve other people. I think about what issues I see in my own family and community and figure out what role I can play in making them better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Abaki brings an unwavering commitment to empowering Indigenous voices, narratives, and histories. She has written and advocated for grants and federal legislation on behalf of Indigenous communities. Abaki led the Blackfeet Food Sovereignty Assessment Project, interviewing elders about foods they ate growing up and medicines they used to revitalize traditional knowledge. Since 2015, she has been a youth advocate for the National Coalition of Native American Language Schools and Programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just after graduating from Macalester, Abaki created POC Online Classroom. That project\u2014now with more than 11,000 Instagram followers\u2014grew out of her effort to archive and organize the resources she had collected from classes and the library. \u201cI realized I had made my own personal database and thought it would be helpful if this was available to more people,\u201d Abaki says. She turned her collection into an online social justice resource library, which 67,000 people visited last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most recently, Abaki has worked for Washington University\u2019s Prison Education Project, which offers an undergraduate degree to incarcerated men. Writes her nominator, \u201cWherever Abaki goes, she leaves a palpable impact, one imbued with intellectual ferocity and a no-nonsense attitude, inspiring those around her to grow, be better, and do better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Young Alumni Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZKW0b1v6Bko?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alumni Service Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peter Fenn &#8217;70<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"462\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/peterfenn.jpg\" alt=\"Peter Fenn\" class=\"wp-image-2376 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/peterfenn.jpg 462w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/peterfenn-300x275.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Peter Fenn \u201970 became immersed in Macalester\u2019s alumni community two full years before he actually joined that network, when he became the college\u2019s first student manager of the Alumni House. At Alumni Board receptions held there, board members drew him into the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Four years after graduation, he married Alison Seale Fenn \u201972 in that Alumni House. And eventually Peter would become part of that Alumni Board for six years, leading the group as its president.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That was far from the end of his service to Macalester, though. Peter went on to serve for 18 years on the Board of Trustees, missing just one meeting that entire time. He was also part of the presidential search committee that selected Macalester\u2019s 15th president. Peter currently chairs the Trustees Emerita\/Emeritus group, and this year, he co-chaired his 50th Reunion committee. Away from campus, Peter and Alison have hosted many Macalester events in their home in Washington, D.C. \u201cPeter epitomizes the Mac spirit of engagement and service,\u201d writes his nominator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Washington, Peter has provided strategic and communications support to political candidates at all levels of government for nearly 40 years through his political and public affairs media firm. Throughout his career, he has been a tireless source of mentoring support for countless Mac students and alumni interested in public policy and politics. \u201cIt can be very hard to go out and look for your first job\u2014I was scared to death when I came out of graduate school,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve always tried to talk to every student that asks, meet with anybody who wants to meet. People come up to me at alumni events and say, \u2018You don\u2019t remember me, but you helped me get a job.\u2019 I know the caliber of Mac alumni, and it\u2019s a pleasure to help in any way I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Alumni Service Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rir1l1Hqux8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award honors the legacy of Charles J. Turck, president of Macalester College from 1939 to 1958. Lawyer, educator, social activist, internationalist, and churchman, President Turck championed internationalism throughout his tenure. This award recognizes alumni who have advanced the spirit of internationalism and lived up to the exhortation, \u201cto be a worthy son or daughter of Macalester, you must listen to your hopes and not your fears.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Martha Hansen McManus &#8217;70<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"274\" height=\"316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/Picture35-1.jpg\" alt=\"Martha Hansen McManus\" class=\"wp-image-2380 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/Picture35-1.jpg 274w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/Picture35-1-260x300.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>As she works to restore communication and resolve conflict in disrupted communities around the world, Martha Hansen McManus \u201970 always uses the same approach: encouraging and empowering local expertise. Her work has taken her to Colombia, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Romania, Iraq, and Indigenous communities across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s different about my approach is that people from the community have to be represented in the training,\u201d she says. \u201cIn Iraq, there had to be men and women, and there had to be Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.\u201d Then, the people in that community recreate the training materials in their own words, with examples that are culturally specific\u2014teaching each other and strengthening the community from within.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A Spanish major at Macalester, McManus\u2019s passion for empowering others to make change for themselves started early. During Interim, she taught at a Colorado school with many Spanish-speaking students who worked to supplement their families\u2019 incomes. When a new school attendance requirement would have caused students to lose out on critical summer jobs, McManus helped them develop a workable solution. They appealed to the school board and won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1987, McManus founded the Conflict Resolution and Communication Centre in Calgary, Alberta. A year later, she developed Canada\u2019s first conflict resolution program, before going on to complete the first of three masters degrees. Within five years, those programs became global and they continue today, with McManus consulting with schools, communities, NGOs, and governments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think people themselves have their own wisdom,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m more of a peace-waker than a peacemaker. I wake up the peace that people have inside them rather than giving them something externally.\u201d McManus has received numerous awards, including being selected in 2002 from thousands of global applications for the inaugural group of Rotary World Peace Fellows. A true global citizen, she is also a proud mother of three grown sons, with a household of several well-loved dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of her nominators wrote, \u201cHow do you bottle Martha\u2019s unbridled enthusiasm for people and life? I don\u2019t know how to put that into words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mLNEzS2sZ5I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Catharine Lealtad, Class of 1915, Service to Society Award<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Catharine Lealtad Service to Society Award is given to alumni of color who have used their education to distinguish themselves in service to the\u00a0<\/em>community<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kayla Richards &#8217;10<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/me-and-Peruvian-babes.jpg\" alt=\"Kayla Richards\" class=\"wp-image-2368 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/me-and-Peruvian-babes.jpg 720w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/461\/2020\/07\/me-and-Peruvian-babes-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Kayla Richards \u201910 says she was destined to become a social worker. Ten years after graduation, writes Kayla\u2019s nominator, she has \u201cquietly risen to become one of the most accomplished social workers in the Twin Cities.\u201d She works within systems to identify trauma, inequity, and bias\u2014and then focuses on rectifying those imbalances.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A registered member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, Kayla grew up in rural South Dakota in a community that struggled with addiction. At Macalester, an internship at the Juvenile Detention Center introduced her to the criminal justice system\u2019s inequities. \u201cOppressive and\/or neglectful environments, like the one I grew up in, often rob people of their sense of possibility, of their imagination,\u201d she says. \u201cMy work has changed my sense of what might be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Early on, that work involved providing children in residential treatment programs with supervision, therapeutic life-skills modeling, and a nurturing environment. After completing a master of social work degree, Kayla joined Hennepin County\u2019s adult probation and mental health court as a probation agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today Kayla is a juvenile probation corrections unit supervisor in the county\u2019s department of community corrections and rehabilitation. She facilitates a team that makes placement and treatment intervention recommendations for youth in the juvenile justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The role is both more motivating and challenging than she ever imagined. \u201cMy best work has been targeting disparities and examining a critical (and often forgotten about) part of the relationship between institution and youth: the probation agent,\u201d she says. In institutional reform, more training is often presented as the solution, but in Kayla\u2019s view, that\u2019s only half of the equation: \u201cI look at how probation agents see their work, through the lens of social identity and power. I want to shift how we see youth and their attempts at problem-solving or coping not as \u2018bad behaviors\u2019 but with a more person-centered, trauma-informed, and equitable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And her efforts are making an impact. \u201cThe lives Kayla has changed are too numerous to count,\u201d writes her nominator. \u201cKayla is a shining example of how a Macalester education can be deployed to create a more just, thoughtful, and joyful world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Awards 2020: Catharine Lealtad Service to Society Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QV9mWSohlDg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These nine alumni were be honored by the Macalester community at the Grand Celebration: Reunion Kick-Off event on Saturday, July 18, 2020. The 2021 Award Recipients will be announced soon. Distinguished Citizen Award The Distinguished Citizen Award recognizes alumni who have exercised leadership in civic, social, religious, and professional activities. It is given because the [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"parent":248,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2350","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2350"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5385,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2350\/revisions\/5385"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}