Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony
The 20th anniversary of the Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony was an extraordinary celebration! Taking place via Zoom webinar on the afternoon of March 26, 2021, Pacificans everywhere were able to tune-in to celebrate, honor, and thank the 11 incredible awardees selected in both 2020 and 2021. These incredible womxn* had been nominated and selected due to their significant contributions to uplift and empower others, promote gender and racial equity, and inspire future generations of women leaders. The event was hosted by Sahila Shah (Pacific sophomore) and Colleen Smith (ISS staff) and featured a powerful spoken word piece by recent alum and Woman of Distinction awardee, Rida Fatima. Recipients of the award touched us all with words of thanks and reflection. In addition to the annual award categories, a special award was given to a true trailblazer and Pacific icon, Judy Chambers, entitled the Woman of Distinction Icon Award. A moving video with appearances by Elizabeth Griego, Jess Marks, Norm Allen, and Allison Dumas introduced Judy, who then joined us with a special and inspiring message. Each awardee was mailed a glass award to display as a small symbol of the large impact they have made both at Pacific and beyond.
*the term womxn is used to be inclusive of trans and nonbinary identities
2020 and 2021 Women of Distinction Awardees:
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Yuki Nagase Woman of Distinction Undergraduate Student Award |
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Rida Fatima (class of 2020) Woman of Distinction Undergraduate Student Award |
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Randi Holguin Woman of Distinction Undergraduate Student Award
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Amber Mateer Womxn of Distinction Graduate Student Award
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Dr. Teresa Bergman Woman of Distinction Faculty Award
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Dr. Jennifer Helgren Woman of Distinction Faculty Award
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Dr. Sacha Joseph-Mathews Woman of Distinction Faculty Award |
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Alicia Perry Woman of Distinction Staff Award
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Dr. Elizabeth Trayner Woman of Distinction Staff Award
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Dr. Judy Chambers Woman of Distinction Icon Award
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Mary Aguirre Woman of Distinction Alumni/Community Award
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Full 2021 Women of Distinction Awards Recording:
Special thanks to the 2021 Women of Distinction Awards Planning Committee: Dr. Marcia Hernandez, Dr. Traci Roberts-Camps, Cynia Manning, Jean Callahan, Ashton Ricketts, Rebeca Stovall, Chelsea Skinner, Allison Dumas, Colleen Smith
About the Women of Distinction Awards:
The Women of Distinction Awards (WoD) is an annual awards ceremony recognizing women from the Pacific community who have made significant contributions to uplift and empower others, promote gender and racial equity, and/or inspire future generations of women leaders. Beginning in Spring 2002 as a component of Student Life’s Women’s Leadership Conference, the event includes an inspiring keynote speaker and honors WoD Awardees in the following categories: Undergraduate Student; Graduate Student; Staff Member; Faculty Member; and Alumni/Community Member (Stockton/San Joaquin). Nominations are submitted by members of the Pacific community and awardees are selected by a committee primarily comprised of past award recipients.
The Women of Distinction Awards is an impactful tradition that honors the work and legacy of the awardees and empowers attendees to strive towards gender equity. WoD engages and inspires Pacificans of all genders, as well as the broader local communities.
For more information, please contact Colleen Smith, Associate Director of Intercultural Student Success at Pacific.
Women of Distinction Past Recipients by Intercultural Student Success