MLK Community Service Awards given to Girls Who Game, Columbia College leaders in ceremony
Columbia College on Tuesday recognized individuals and organizations at the institution who embody the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr. They received Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards during a ceremony in Dorsey Hall.
Highlights of the college's diversity efforts over the past year were mentioned by Columbia College Diversity Director Alejandra Gudino. The college participated in Columbia's Juneteenth Parade in 2022 and celebration in Douglass Park, she said. The college also was a Mid-Missouri Pridefest sponsor and participated in that colorful parade. All-gender restrooms have been established in campus buildings.
An individual winner is Jared Clark, program specialist location operations for Columbia College Global.
"Jared has a giving spirit that is really hard to match," Gudino said.
Clark provides instructor resources on diversity topics, she said, and he "continues to work selflessly on (them)."
As an example of Clark's dedication, Gudino went "off script" and talked about planning for Juneteenth.
"We were supposed to meet at 8," she said. "I came at 7:30 and he was already in the parking lot. Oof." Clark is clearly deserving of the award, she said.
"Jared's dedication represents the true public servant spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., " Gudino said.
Another individual award was presented by Andy Kenuam, senior director of online education, to Carmela Thornton. Thornton is a Columbia College alum, faculty member, current student and staff member, Kenuam said. A lifelong learner, she's scheduled to graduate in April with her fourth and fifth degrees.
"Carmela has served the college for over a decade as an adjunct instructor and more recently joined the online education team full-time as the assistant director of operations after retiring from the city of Columbia, where she worked to ensure equitable business opportunities for all," Kenuam said.
Girls Who Game Summer Camp received the award from Piyusha Singh, college provost and senior vice president.
Started in 2017 and primarily serving middle school girls, transgender girls and non-binary students, Girls Who Game was established to give them a safe space to learn, train, play and grow, Singh said.
"From eSports coaching to game development, members of the Girls Who Game community receive cutting-edge instruction, valuable mentorship and a plethora of experience in gaming and game design to prepare them for success," she said.
Raea Mills presented an award to the team in the office of the registrar, a group Mills said works to ensure students' needs are accommodated.
"They help students every step of the way, from putting them at ease when starting at CC, to evaluating transcripts to make sure students are following the best degree program for their needs," Mills said. "Simply put, this group goes above and beyond on a daily basis."
Gudino reminded those attending of the Black Business Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 in Southwell Athletic Complex.
Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: MLK Community Service Awards handed out by Columbia College leaders
