Community Diversity Award Winners Announced

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Office of Multicultural Affairs at UWS Recongizes Two

By Tom Hansen

The Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior announced that Terra Brister and Dr. Mary Lee-Nichols as recipients of the 2015 Community Diversity Award.

Terra Brister accepting her award from Ernesto Soto | Explore Superior

Terra Brister accepting her award from Ernesto Soto, a student member of the selection committee (Photo courtesy of Ivy Vainio)

Terra Brister, graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and is from Milwaukee, Wis. She started her career at UW-Superior in 2011, and became connected with the Office of Multicultural Affairs soon after and involved herself in several of their yearly programs such as being a mentor for the College Student For A Day pre-college programs, Making College Accessible, Leadership and Mentorship Program, and Diversity Dialogues.

She also attended the National Student Exchange program for a semester at Alabama State University to study African American Studies courses. This past academic year she was the President of the Black Student Union and coordinated several successful “community engagement” events on campus. Along with those positions, she was a member of the Hispanic Organization/Organizacion Latino Americana.

“I have met some wonderful people and had the amazing opportunity to mentor students, speak at events, get involved in Black Student Union, and many more things,” Brister said. “All I can think of is my mother reminding me to always stay humble and blessings will come my way and I think that is exactly what happened.”

Brister was involved with a variety of organizations off campus as well; she worked for the Duluth Boys and Girls Club and was an active member of the African Heritage Community Organization in Superior. At The Boys and Girls Club, located in Duluth, Minnesota, she worked with kids on a daily basis and even supported them by attending their athletic contests. The youth enjoyed her company and even looked up to her as a role model.

Dr. Mary Lee-Nichols accepting her award from Ernesto Soto | Explore Superior

Dr. Mary Lee-Nichols accepting her award from Ernesto Soto, a student member of the selection committee (Photo courtesy of Ivy Vainio)

Dr. Mary Lee-Nichols, an assistant professor of Educational Leadership at UW-Superior, focuses her work on preparing educators as multicultural teachers. She is a former teacher and principal in New York City, suburban Denver, and rural Maine. It was during her time at these positions that she began questioning and re-thinking the current educational policies and practices in classrooms seeing as they produced social inequalities.

At UW-Superior, Dr. Lee-Nichols especially enjoys teaching and working to bring an awareness of the inequalities and inequities that exist in schools today and she proudly promotes inclusive education.

Dr. Lee-Nichols is the author of “It Begins with Muffins for Moms: How Racist Practices Casually Creep into Classrooms” (in Six Lenses for Anti-Oppressive Education, Ngo &Kumashiro, 2014). She is also coauthor, with her colleagues in the Midwest Critical Whiteness Collective, of “McIntosh as Synecdoche: How Teacher Education’s Focus on White Privilege Undermines Antiracism” (Harvard Educational Review, Fall, 2013).

Congratulations to these two recipients of the 2015 Community Diversity Award and they were both honored on campus on May 15 at the 18th annual Multicultural Affairs / First Nations Graduation Reception on campus.

Tom Hansen works with UWS in Marketing and Communications

Terra Brister with Ernesto Soto in the photo. Ernesto Soto presented the awards to the winners and was a student member of the Community Diversity Award Selection committee. Photo courtesy of Ivy Vainio.




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