Alumni Awards 2020

Don Pope-Davis:  
Hello, I am Dean Pope Davis of the College of Education and Human Ecology. The EHE Alumni Awards, recognize alumni who have contributed to our society, their profession, and the college.

The award also recognizes young graduates who show great promise in their respective fields. The Hall of Fame Award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual from our college. The award winners have influence local, national and global narratives around Education and Human Ecology.

This year's winners stand out for their commitment to social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Please join me in celebrating these remarkable individuals.
 

Speaker 1:
Hi i'm Charlie Keenan president of the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Alumni Society

On behalf of our alumni board and all  the nearly 100,000 alumni of our college i'd like to congratulate all of our 2020 award  winners.

Being honored through this virtual recognition while we have tens and thousands of our alumni doing amazing  work  these awardees represent the best of the  best from our college.

In receiving these  most prestigious award  this group of awardees all exhibit the  work ethic,  pride, dedication, and passion that has  been ingrained in all of us  through the Ohio State University and  our College of Education and Human Ecology.

Congratulations again to this year's recipients. We are all proud of you for  your accomplishments.

The way you represent us all and for  this recognition today.

Go bucks!
 

Speaker 1:
Hello everyone it is a distinct honor  for me  to be inducted into the College of Education and Human Ecology  hall of fame.

 I'd like to thank the  members of the committee  and to say i will continue to do my best  to live up to the standards  of this august body.
 
 I'd also like to  thank all who nominated  me for your acknowledgement of my work  and resulting recognition i would like  to thank the many students i have taught  over the years  and to say i am grateful for what you  have taught me.
 
 Thanks to my friends colleagues and  mentors  we showed the way for me to master  techniques  of study and discovery whereby my  research  and practice would actually have some  impact  for change.

This year represents 30 years of devotion to this college and i have enjoyed almost every minute  of it.

Looking over that time reflections have  been immeasurable  with writing books and articles and  giving presentations  on almost every continent and in many  of these United States.

I worked hard  and as such the strides have been great  from that of an associate to an endowed  professor  the pinnacle of the profession  hence this award truly represents  a contemplative moment in my life.

During the time here my work in  education law  has demonstrated that progress is  changed  and never stands still.

What one  discovers is that once you think you  have done your best  aim higher for youth stages  immaturity can be outgrown  and lack of knowledge requires education.

These words and this pattern have  fostered my particular event in favor of  scholarly knowledge  with today's needs this has been my  motivation  that is to train new scholars and to  work with collaborators  who share my passion for achieving new  goals

In these days and times when health  disparities and centuries old  discrimination  enveloped the country leadership in  education  is one of the highest forms of activism.

Let me close by indicating that in my  younger years  I was motivated to study hard not  because of  but in spite of the system I learned  better and discovered I had a dream to  do better.

Harriet Tubman's writings told me that  when she wrote every great dream  begins with a dreamer always remember  you have the strength the patience  and the passion to reach for the stars  to change the world.

Thank you very much.
 

Speaker 1:
Hello in'm Kristen Butler and I am  thankful to receive  the career achievement award by Ohio  State University College  of Education and Human Ecology.

I feel  fortunate that education was always  emphasized in my family  my dad worked in the field of education  for 40 years.

My mom always worked in the school  system and my brother dwayne  started his college professional career  as a college coach  and is now a school administrator from  an early age.

My parents and grandparents instilled  core values  of equality, diversity, and the importance  of education. 

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio State was  always considered the gold standard of  universities.

I can still remember  how exciting it was to open that  acceptance letter  at the time I could have never predicted  how my college experience at Ohio State  would influence my life in so many ways  passion met my purpose at Ohio State  University. Working with individuals with  disabilities and inclusive environments  became my mission.

OSU framed my path developed my skills  and tested my resolve  many times over nine years and three  degrees.

Thank you to my advisor Dr Sonato my  dissertation committee:  Dr Cooper, Dr Herron, Dr Heward  and Dr Mulik for ensuring I was always  properly challenged it's clear to me now  that the time I spent at ohio state was  preparing me to serve  others by advocating for individuals  with disabilities.

After receiving my PhD, I was fortunate  to begin  my career at Dublin City Schools. In Dublin I had the opportunity  to work with and learn from talented  professionals who were intent on making  a positive impact  in the field of special education.

Accomplished osu alumni  Kathy Sankey was a principal in Dublin  at the time  she influenced me then and continues to  be a respected voice for inclusion and  diversity.

In 2014 a group of parents who were  dissatisfied with services  available for their children approached  me about starting a company that  provided high quality service  for their children with disabilities.

We  started Ability Matters. the mission Ability Matters was and  still is to provide a high standard of  service to individuals with disabilities  in an inclusive  community environment.

What started out  as a small group of parents and staff  dedicated to inclusion and diversity has  grown  to date we serve 80 individuals with  disabilities.  Employing 250 staff we value our diverse  team of administrators,  educators therapists, life coach, massage  therapist,  and most importantly an incredible  direct service staff. In 2019 the better business bureau  honored Ability Matters and our skilled  staff with the Torch Award for Ethics.

Ability Matters offers premier services  and housing  education and intervention one inspiring  example  seeing my niece Emmy who has down  syndrome benefit from the inclusive  services.

We developed in the community another  area we have pushed the boundaries is  incorporating travel to promote  independence  providing opportunities to experience  other cultures  is an incredible way to increase  self-awareness and acceptance.  

Ability Matters has implemented day  trips around Ohio  several trips across the country and  even traveled internationally. A personal highlight was a trip that  included stops in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama. It further cemented  the belief that travel highlights we are  all  more alike than different the principles. 

I learned studying applied behavior  analysis in my phd program at ohio state  have allowed all of these services to be  implemented successfully  in closing thank you for this tremendous  honor.

A special thank you to my husband randy  and our children who have supported me  along the way  this award is an opportunity and a  challenge for me to look for more ways I  can pay  forward to the next generation of  buckeyes.

Go bucks!
 

Speaker 1:
I'm so humbled to receive the ehe new  leader award. It was really a great surprise so  thank you very much.

I have been reflecting about  my time at Ohio State in the counselor  education program  under the mentorship of Dr Moore and  I can easily say that I wouldn't be  where I am today,  the academic that I am, the advocate that I  am, without those experiences.

Dr Moore is a person who really  impressed upon me  that the whole point of being an  academic or having that seat at the  table is so  that you can have an impact and if you  aren't making an  impact then what are you doing.

So that's  been the thing that  has been guiding me so it's less a  question about  why am I at the table or why am I  in this position but more of what impact  can I have now that I'm here and I'm really grateful for that my time at Ball State as  assistant professor and now associate  professor in counselor education  has been a wonderful journey I've had  the great opportunity to work with lots  of different kinds of students  and to focus on equity and social  justice in schools. 

And getting them excited and ready to  answer the call and the call is  big but they are very motivated to do  such  but the thing I think for me  is that those things are yes of the utmost importance but without that connection to the community without  for me working in the community as well.

With being on boards or also I think  being involved in other organizations  that are working to  build up build up the community while  also dismantling systems of oppression.

[Music]

Those things have to happen too and so  I'm really grateful  for this honor there's a lot of work to  be done  and it's really nice to be able to pause  for a minute and  celebrate that work that's been done and  also know that  I'm going to jump back in and keep doing, keep pressing on and continuing to do  the work. 

So thank you so much for this  honor. I really appreciate it.

I wish that we could all be together  but I know that  safety and health and happiness is  of the utmost importance right now. I'm  looking forward  to when we can all hang out soon.

Go bucks!
 

Speaker 1:
The idea of being recognized with the  college of education and human ecology's  new leader award  is incredibly special to me.

Every bit of  my career has ehe experiences directly  woven into it  in fact without my experience working as  a research assistant at the Schoenbaum Family Center  i wouldn't be in the field of early  childhood at all.

On the second floor of Schoenbaum  there was a canvas that was  scattered with paint that hung on the  wall  directly across from that art were  several research posters  the juxtaposition and balance of science  and play  ignited something inside of me. 

I  distinctly remember walking down the  hall and thinking  I don't exactly know what this is but I  want to do  this with my career. Without my  experience with EHE  I would have never discovered my passion  for research.

I would never experience  the power early childhood has to develop  communities.

Frankly i would have never found my love  for littles and I would never developed  into the advocate for earlier  early education that I am today. 

I am  honored to receive the new leader award  and thankful for my experience with the  college.

Thank you and go bocks!