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April 6, 2023
Northwest Missouri State University honored outstanding organizations, students, faculty and staff Monday during its 13th annual Northwest Awards and Recognition.
“There’s no better way than to recognize our students, staff and faculty who make such a difference for our university,” Northwest Provost Dr. Jamie Hooyman said as she provided the ceremony’s closing remarks. “Their contributions every day make Northwest what it is. We want to continue shining a light on all those individuals that work hard every day and do such an amazing job to help our students learn.”
The Northwest Awards and Recognition is a collaborative celebration to recognize excellence exhibited by students, faculty and staff. The event celebrates awards presented by Student Employment, the Graduate Office, the Office of Student Involvement, B.D. Owens Library, the International Involvement Center, the Office of Human Resources, Student Senate and the Student Success Center.
A complete listing of outstanding nominees appears below. Award recipients are marked with an asterisk and pictured with University Interim President Dr. Clarence Green and their nominators’ comments.
Sy’Maih Smith
“Sy'Maih is a true asset to Wellness Services. Her commitment to and being an advocate for mental health, being a stellar co-worker, providing invaluable assistance, and having someone the caliber of Sy'Maih is precisely what we value.”
Phi Sigma Kappa, Epsilon Nu Chapter
“All members are expected to participate in another campus organization or employment opportunity as a condition of ongoing membership. Through organizations such as St. Jude, Student Senate and Christian Campus House, our members consistently engage in servant leadership outside the context of our chapter as well.”
Minority Men’s Organization
“The purpose of this program was to make women feel comfortable and appreciated. This organization definitely achieved that purpose. At the event, they had their members walk each woman in individually to their table, which I have never experienced before. Then, they had a full course meal dedicated to us and had goodie bags at each table. They gave a presentation about what woman in their life had the biggest impact on them, and it was eye-opening seeing them get emotional about it. They also gave awards out to women that had a significant impact on the community.”
Dr. Bayo Joachim
“He never makes decisions for us and emphasizes that, as leaders, we must take responsibility, and that if we have questions or concerns, he is there to help us along the way. When I experience imposter syndrome, his confidence in my judgment reminds me that I am a leader for a reason, that he believes in me and that I should do the same. I’m learning, and knowing that I have a kind, nonjudgmental and supportive advisor makes me even more eager to learn and focus on contributing to my community in whatever ways I can.”
Behavioral Sciences Association
“The Behavioral Sciences Association held the ‘I Will Listen’ event, which was a mental health-themed event containing an art exhibit, speakers and an exercise room. Our main event, the art exhibit, gave students and faculty an opportunity to visually express their experiences with mental illness. We received over 90 pieces from people within the community wanting to tell us their story. Many of these people reached out to us to tell us how much the event meant to them, and how viewing other students’ pieces made them feel more normal and accepted. Since then, we’ve chosen to turn the exhibit into an annual event that we can perform research over so that our University can understand the therapeutic impact of creating art.
We’ve also trained our members on how to handle mental health crises. We’ve partnered with the Wellness Center to do RESPOND training at our meetings, making our members knowledgeable about how to be supportive of those in crisis on our campus.
We’ve also partnered with the Student Veterans Association to spread awareness about suicide and mental illnesses on campus. In the fall, we also absorbed Active Minds into our organization to create a larger mental health-based group, which can reach more students.”
Jocelyn Duff
“Josie demonstrates consistent professionalism in her communications with the community at large. In addition, she is also genuine or ‘real’ with the members of the organization – a skill upon which multiple members have commented in gratitude and appreciation. She knows how to effectively lead her executive board, holding her officers accountable in a compassionate yet affirmative way. This makes her relatable and appreciated leader and mentor to the students she serves. She is a great role model for the students in BSA and for Northwest at large.”
Dami Popoola
“Dami has previously served as the inclusion chair for the 99th Student Senate and currently serves as the vice president of the 100th Student Senate. Additionally, he is the current vice president of the African Student Organization. Dami and the Student Senate Executive Board have made strides improving the organizational performance of Student Senate. This includes maintaining a proper Inclusion Committee for the first time since I started at Northwest in 2019. Additionally, current Student Senate membership is higher than any time in my college career. Dami's role is to manage the cabinet of Student Senate, who are the appointed officers that oversee different areas of operation in the organization. Dami is deserving of this award due to all the previously mentioned reasons, in addition to his kindness and humility. He seems to always be trying new things and furthering the mission of the University.”
“Elyssa Ford has a great perception of what every student needs – conceptual knowledge, workforce skills and career success. Her passion to be someone with a great liking in the field of knowledge, deeply stirred by issues and ideas that challenge our world, and drawn to the potential of the young people who come into class each day are just a few of the key areas that Dr. Ford is dedicated to. She leads by example and seeks to be restorative so that students improve their likelihood of success. Without her drive to encourage students to thrive and flourish in their purposes, fewer students would be impacted to do so.”
Joe Quinlin
“Joe is as effective in building strength of character as he is building strength in the weight room and on the court, field, turf or pitch. He works tirelessly to mentor, educate and provide a resource to these young adults to better enrich their experience at Northwest. His intention every day is to improve the world around him, and he will continue to do so both effectively and humbly. Joe’s positive impact on Northwest students has trickled into our community and carries on through all of our graduates to the next steps of their lives.”
Deep Shikha
“She contributes to the internationalization of campus by working and participating in all the international events and interacting with all the international students.”
Dr. Machelle Skinner
“Dr. Skinner is a highly committed faculty member who has demonstrated her commitment to Northwest through service to the nursing student population, to the nursing profession and to campus as a whole. Her service work is exemplary despite her appointment as a remote faculty person in a completely online program. Her achievements and contributions include being elected to and serving on the 2022-2023 Faculty Senate, serving as a member and current chair of the Institutional Review Board Research Ethics Committee, serving on several department committees related to mentorship of adjunct faculty, hiring of permanent faculty, and revision of tenure and promotion criteria for the school. Dr. Skinner worked with colleagues to coordinate and implement a regional nursing conference co-sponsored by Northwest and Mosaic Life Care. She serves on several state and regional boards and committees such as the Medical Advisory Board for The Source medical clinic and the practice and education committee for the Missouri Nursing Association.”
Tricia Collins
“Tricia Collins works as the daily tour coordinator and works with over 2,000 families that schedule tours throughout the course of the year. She is student-oriented. She takes the time to provide every future Bearcat with a positive experience that exceeds their expectations. She provides exceptional customer service. She works with all academic departments to schedule appointments for future Bearcats while trying to juggle multiple faculty and staff schedules to ensure the appointments happen. She is a multitasker, scheduling tours, training staff, assisting ambassadors with key information about the tour and/or guidance about how to navigate any situations that arise.”
Jillian McNamara
“As the Executive Board treasurer she is always trying to motivate students to go through Student Senate. She does so well taking on such a large position and puts her all into everything she is involved in. Jillian is also involved in Northwest Dance Company, and in the executive meetings she always mentions Student Senate when they are in need of money. Jillian is always willing to help those who need it.”
Phi Sigma Kappa
“The number one quality that we possess is our level of involvement on campus. Members of our chapter participate in a wide variety of organizations including Student Senate, SAC, Theatre Northwest, St. Jude, and RHA. Additionally, we contribute to student success every day by engaging with the campus in employment opportunities- the OSI, Financial Aid, Textbook Services, Vending, UPD, Athletics, etc. Anywhere you go on campus, a Phi Sig is sure to be close by.”
Office of Student Involvement
“The professional and student staff of the OSI mesh together extremely well, working together to create an environment based on mutual trust, personal connection and professional competency. We work hard every day to coordinate co-curricular opportunities to assist students with developing the skills they need in the modern workplace. Additionally, our office supports the University mission by managing events, service opportunities, promotional media and more for student organizations and Northwest departments.”
Dr. Mark Corson
“Dr. Corson is most deserving of this award because he is different from other professors. He goes out of his way to make each lesson engaging while teaching his students real-world experiences, because that is what really matters after students get their degrees. Along with this, Dr. Corson is always teaching us to make good connections with people for future references to be successful. Every day is a positive and upbeat day because of how Dr. Corson has set his classroom environment. The EDM students are able to learn more and enjoy being together because of what Dr. Corson has made out of the EDM program.”
Jared Larson
“Jared works to recruit, advise and connect with incoming and new students at Northwest. Since transfer students are not at Northwest at the beginning of their college experience, it becomes challenging to create a sense of belonging when they transfer here. Jared’s empathy for others shines through in his interactions with transfer students, and oftentimes their families. He remembers student names long after interacting with them, can be found any day of the week conversing with past students and asking how they are doing and advises the Transfer Student Organization to extend the transfer student welcome experience through the rest of their time here. This impacts transfer students enormously, as Jared is typically one of their most influential connects to the University. He builds rapport and navigates University systems and processes to best benefit the student in need.”
Zoe Chagnon
“Zoe is great at connecting and communicating with all students, instructors and other peer mentors she works with. Zoe is great at connecting the students she works with to the necessary resources, including the Wellness Center, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Student Involvement, one-on-one tutoring, etc.”
Nick Bolton
“Nick is always willing to go out of his way to connect with and help students all across campus, from the time they come to SOAR until they are well into their college experience. Nick goes above and beyond to help students feel at home at Northwest and connect them to resources across campus. Nick is also very involved across campus, and is always encouraging others to get involved as well, which I believe helps students, especially first-generation students, feel more at home at Northwest.
Garrison Kennedy
“Garrison has a unique perspective as a student employee within our office while also being a student leader for student organizations on campus. He has been able to help the office improve processes and policies that will benefit the office as well as student organizations directly. He asked to take on additional duties and was given administrative access in our software system to complete a large project. As a result, he meets regularly with our software company consultant to be trained and problem solve how to complete the project. He completely revamped our teams site for our student employees to include workflows, job descriptions and accountability measures, and has also utilized Canvas to create training modules for student employees. He is seen as a leader and a knowledgeable resource for the other student employees in our department.”
“Rhebe is able to relate to the students she serves, as she has personally experienced some of the struggles they are going through. She is an advocate for students and will speak up on their behalf if the students are unable to speak up for themselves. Students are comfortable with Rhebe and reach out to her with questions or concerns. It’s not just Rhebe’s ability to work with students that impresses me, as Rhebe has planned and executed cultural and educational workshops and activities, such as stress management, drop-in study hours and paint activities. She has also formerly served on the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Team.”
Kiersten Helm
“Kiersten makes sure students stay on top of their academics. She has offered study sessions and will hold the sessions outside of class, allowing any student who needs accountability to show up and study. When University Seminar went to meeting one day a week, Kiersten volunteered to come to class on the other day just for students who needed help. She helped alleviate the stressors and unknowns these students were experiencing and has made it her personal goal to see the students make a connection to campus. She knows if she can get students connected, their overall college experience will be an experience they will never forget.”
Edidiong Idong-Bassey
“Deedee supports external communication work and publicity of the University by conducting interviews with students, faculty, staff and alumni while gathering information from a variety of sources. She writes news releases and feature stories that are published to multiple platforms and highlight University initiatives, individual achievements and alumni engagement. This work requires specialized skills to document and report the University’s living history. Our analytic-tracking tools show several of her news releases were well-read and drove engagement, reaching around 10,000 users or more on Facebook alone, and one of her stories was Northwest’s most viewed news release for the month across all platforms when it was published, including a reach of 12,509 people on Facebook.”
Kaylin LaMaster
“Kaylin has helped with the building and maintenance of the University’s contract management system, JAGGAER. She has been solely responsible for creating all the user resources for system use, creating user profiles for all employees who are part of the contract process, managing permission settings, departmental workflows and eSignature rules to comply with the policy set by our Board of Regents. She has been able to find solutions for complex workflow scenarios in the JAGGAER system through trial and error. Many of the coding strings in the system are complicated, and Kaylin has truly impressed us all with her ability to navigate the system to meet the needs of the University. I truly believe Kaylin is a key reason for the success of the JAGGAER system implementation and its progress.”
“Emily is thoughtful and tenacious. Her writing skills are on point; however, it is her personality that allows her to excel in her role. She can connect with anyone. The Writing Center sees a diverse population of students; Emily strives to make each person she encounters feel valued and encouraged and feel at home by sharing personal stories from her writing experiences. The students she tutors often come back for multiple sessions and ask for Emily by name. In addition, Emily has planned, publicized and put on the Writing Center’s biggest event – The National Day of Writing Bingo Event. This event is the product of her thinking. For this work, and much more, she stands out as not only an exceptional student employee, but also a leader.”
Academic Support Services student leadership team
“I refer to my leadership team for input on decisions that impact the whole of Academic Support Services. When involved, they look beyond the immediate needs and create long-term solutions that benefit all staff as students and participants in communities beyond the institution. For example, the team has pivoted our student employee training to be focused on developing transferable skills and how to derive these skills from their work and apply to future career paths. From planning training and professional development, to assisting me in hiring new staff, to developing policies, there is not a single decision I make where I do not involve them. This team serves as a perfect example of how important our student employees are to the daily success and operations of Northwest.”
Kari Frye
“Kari creates a space for creativity, honesty and personal growth. She listens to and values our opinions and makes time for us during and outside of work, whether it’s for professional development, moral support or supporting us in extracurricular activities or events. She makes sure we are held accountable for our mistakes and that we hold ourselves accountable and checks in with us during times when she knows the work environment has been hectic or challenging. Kari provides helpful insight and motivates us to work towards our dreams and to face challenges head-on. She has truly helped me develop both mentally and professionally and I am very thankful to have met her.”
Amy McMullen
Amy McMullen for “Origins of Systemic Racism in U.S. Public Health: The Experience of Black Americans,” written for Dr. Sarah Naramore’s Research Seminar course. McMullen’s paper focuses on the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia and the misconceptions about race-based immunity disseminated by medical practitioners. The paper discusses dangerous practices and expectations placed upon the Black community that became embedded in US medical and public health practices.
Steven Owings for “Hildegard of Bingen,” written for Paul Hindemith’s Music Literature: Antiquity through the Renaissance course. Owings’ paper is a look into the artistic life of revolutionary composer Hildegard of Bingen, who claimed experiences around divinely inspired visions. The paper explores these visions, her faith, and other influences that inspired her compositions, which revolutionized compositional practice.
Angela Kinzel for “A Comparison of Plastic Consumption Between Two Darkling Beetle Species,” written for Dr. Jay McGhee’s Biological Sciences Seminar course. Kinzel’s paper is a comparative study about mealworms and super worms capability of consuming and decomposing plastics. Consumption rate of Styrofoam was measured for equivalent masses of each species over twenty-one days, and the most efficient was determined.
