Award-Winners Honored at CAHSS Staff Awards Ceremony

CAHSS Staff Committee members Kate Erusha and Darlene Squires celebrate recipients of the CAHSS staff awards. Photo by Hannah Fulk.

While the academic year is winding down, staff members at the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) held their annual CAHSS Staff Awards ceremony, celebrating collective and individual successes. Members of the college submitted written nominations about their colleagues, sharing heartfelt messages of recognition. 

With a record-breaking number of nominations, here are this year’s award winners, and what this honor means to them.

Outstanding Emerging Leader – Amy Hilgers, Executive Assistant to the Dean

This award honors a CAHSS staff member who has been in their position less than 2 years and demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation for the length of their tenure. 

Hilgers said, “It’s incredibly meaningful to be acknowledged by peers I respect and admire, whose work and character have inspired me from the beginning. These talented individuals welcomed and supported me as I learned the ins and outs of higher education, an experience that has deeply moved me. These awards should serve as a reminder that the energy, care, and thought that staff put in every day truly matters.”

Student Success Champion – Shawntisha Bailey, Academic Advisor in the Lamont School of Music

This award honors a CAHSS staff member who has created a significant positive impact on CAHSS students in one or more areas of the "Five Rs"- Readiness, Research, Reputation, Refinement and Responsibility. 

Bailey said, “I’m truly honored to be selected as a recipient of this award—especially while working alongside equally passionate and dedicated colleagues. Supporting Lamont students as they pursue their academic and artistic goals is incredibly rewarding and having that work recognized in this way is deeply meaningful. It affirms that what we do behind the scenes has a lasting impact. This award isn’t just a personal milestone, but also a reflection of the continued collective effort we all make to create a space where students can thrive, grow, and feel empowered to be their most authentic selves.”

CAHSS Community Connector – Kate Wyre, Recruitment & Admission Manager

This award honors a CAHSS staff member who has excelled in building a supportive and engaged community. Whether through the work outlined in their job description or above and beyond efforts, the awardee has gone the extra mile to step in, collaboratively provide support, foster a team-oriented environment, and demonstrate the best community ideals of the college.

Wyre said, “Winning the Community Connector Award means so much to me because I love the people I work with. I find it quite easy to build and be in community with CAHSS staff because of their dedication, skill, warmth, and excitement to help each other. It's hard not to want to create social bridges and foster relationships in CAHSS when the staff are so supportive to me and each other. I am deeply grateful for the award, and more importantly, the opportunity to work with my CAHSS colleagues.”

Staff Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award – Jessica Espinosa-Galindo, Enrollment Services Manager

This award honors one CAHSS staff member who has worked to advance the efforts of inclusivity, equity and diversity. This individual has worked to facilitate a long-term culture shift that values inclusive excellence and equity as integral to strategic outcomes and institutional excellence.

Espinosa-Galindo said, “It feels unreal to receive the DEI staff award because I feel that I'm just being authentically myself in my efforts to improve the experiences of the communities that I work with. The CAHSS Staff Awards are a well-deserved reminder that the staff are doing amazing work and are being formally recognized for it. It's so awesome to see all the nominations; it really shows the care and appreciation we have for each other.”

CAHSS Staff Award – Laura Ralston, Executive Director of Enrollment Management

This award honors one CAHSS staff member who is dedicated to continually producing a high quality of work, demonstrate a commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging environment for employees and students, and regularly support the mission and values of the College.

Ralston said, “Receiving this award is an honor, but it reflects far more than my own efforts—it speaks to the incredible resilience, dedication and strength of the team I have the privilege to lead. Over the past year, we’ve navigated significant change and uncertainty. Despite the challenges, every member of the team showed up with professionalism, empathy and an unwavering commitment to each other and to our shared purpose and goals. This recognition belongs as much to them as it does to me. It’s a testament to their ability to adapt, support one another and continue to support the college while remaining dedicated to the mission.”