VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State University Vancouver gave Distinguished Woman of the Year awards to Dora Hernandez in the student category and Julie Hanke in the non-student category at the university’s annual Women of Distinction event Thursday night.
The purpose of the Women of Distinction program is to provide a venue for the celebration of Women’s History Month, observed each year in March. The 2011 event recognized women who have inspired, mentored and empowered young women.
Hernandez is a human development major. She is president of the Latin@Association and a student diversity peer mentor. She balances her commitments at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø with being the mother of two. Hernandez is the first member of her family to pursue higher education.
Hernandez’s nominator, Liz Rosas, said she is an inspiration for attending college after many years away from an academic setting and for mentoring fellow students through club leadership.
Hanke works as a case manager for the Vancouver School District Teen Parent Program. She has empowered many teens to make good choices for themselves and their babies by providing them the education, tools and resources they need to be successful. The one area of her job that kept her up nights worrying was homeless teens and those who were living in unsafe situations.
In March of 2006, Hanke opened a homeless shelter for pregnant and parenting teens called Vida’s Ark. It houses four teens, their babies and a house mother. Homeless pregnant and parenting teens now have a safe place to live and feel nurtured and loved.
Women of Distinction also gave Distinguished Woman of the Year honorable mention awards. In the student category Rebekah Juhala and Golnaz Irooni Koloushani received honorable mentions. Fellow nominees included: Stephanie Holt, Kimberly Lawrence and Sally Thrall. In the non-student category Pavithra Narayanan and Rhona Sen Hoss received honorable mentions. Fellow nominees included: April Lappin, Katherine Olson, Jennifer Ortiz, Tahira Probst, Patricia Sayer and Suzanne Turnauer.
Following the awards, keynote speaker Nichole Maher, executive director of the Native American Youth and Family Center, took the podium. Under her leadership, NAYA works to enrich the lives of native youth and families through education, community involvement and culturally specific programming. For more than 30 years, NAYA has provided educational services, cultural arts programming, and direct support to reduce poverty to the Portland metropolitan area’s American Indian and Alaska Native community.
Maher is among the youngest non-profit executive directors in the region and counts herself among those with the longest tenure. At 32 years of age, she has held her position for 10 years. She said much of what she has learned she learned from her elders. She encourages every woman to inspire and mentor young women in their sphere of influence.
###
CONTACTS:
- Karin Zimmer, Office of Student Involvement, 360-546-9530, karin.zimmer@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu
Pictured above: Dora Hernandez (left) and Julie Hanke (right)