2019 Engage for Change Awards

On September 10, 2019, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement hosted its second annual Engage for Change Awards at the Jepson Alumni Center with keynote speaker Damon Jiggetts, executive director of the Peter Paul Development Center.

Each honoree received a framed print designed for the awards program by Jen Thomas, Boatwright Library's Book Arts Studio Director.

Service for Change Award

This award recognizes an individual or group who has committed to service and relationship building in the Richmond community as a significant part of his/her/their college experience and whose work has contributed to a community's goals. We honor awardees for their ongoing commitment to community engagement and for the spirit in which they have engaged. Awardees have exhibited a dedication to understanding social issues in context, a commitment to valuing the dignity and worth of every individual, a persistent self-awareness and willingness to reflect critically, and a sustained and ethical approach to engagement.

Kidest Gebre, ’20

Jonathan Huang, ’21

Jaide Hinds-Clark, ’20

Justine Guan, ’19


Community-Engaged Teaching Award

This award recognizes a faculty member who has consistently demonstrated excellence in community-engaged teaching at the University of Richmond. Community-engaged teaching is undertaken in collaboration with community partners in order to further the learning of all involved and build the capacity of students and community members in order to effect positive change. Excellent community-engaged teaching may connect our students to the greater Richmond community through a variety of modes, including but not limited to service-learning; collaborative projects with community partners; clinical education, student teaching, and internships; and study trips and immersive engagement with community experts.



Karina Vazquez, Director of the Spanish Community-Based Learning Program


Community-Engaged Scholarship Award

This award recognizes University faculty member(s) whose scholarly and/or other creative activity emerges from a mutually beneficial partnership with a community and creates new knowledge that contributes to positive social change. Community-engaged scholarship is characterized by its relevance to a faculty member’s expertise, its benefit to the external community, its visibility among community stakeholders, and its contribution to the University's mission.



Mary Finley-Brook, Associate Professor of Geography & the Environment


Collaboration for Change Award

This award honors a collaborative community-based partnership between campus and community stakeholders. This award is given to an individual or group who recognizes the importance of authentic relationships and genuine collaboration to affect change. Criteria include: a sustained commitment to an evolving and iterative relationship over time; partnerships that exemplify collaboration as a process of co-creation; a respect for the knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders; and a demonstrated outcome that reflects mutually shared goals emerging from the partnership.



Deone McWilliams, CEO, Flavor News and Editor-in-Chief, Northside Vibes, Tom Mullen, Director of Public Affairs Journalism, and students in the First-Year Seminar "Civic Journalism and Social Justice"


Activism for Change Award

This award recognizes an individual or group who has consistently advocated for meaningful action towards social justice in the Richmond region. Awardees have worked persistently to understand the larger context of a social problem and are strategic and intentional in their actions to promote change. 


Side by Side

Alexis Szepesy, ’20


Contribution to the Institution Award

This award recognizes faculty or staff member(s) whose community-engaged teaching , scholarship, and/or service made a significant contribution to the University of Richmond, furthering opportunities for faculty engagement, community collaboration, and the learning and thriving of our students.



Nicole Maurantonio, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Communications Studies, and Irina Rogova, Project Archivist, Race & Racism at the University of Richmond Project