College Students, Faculty Honored at International Women’s Day Event

Odes to strong women who have inspired them emerged as a common thread at the International Women’s Day program held in the Student Union Multipurpose Room in late March, 2016. Among those honored were College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Nancy Gutierrez, other employees and students.

An annual event, International Women’s Day “acknowledges that our campus community is filled with local women who embody the richness of internationalism, and we would like to recognize these individuals for their contributions to UNC Charlotte and the world,” said Roslyn Lewis, communications coordinator in the Office of International Programs.

For 2016, 24 faculty and staff members and 33 students were recognized, the largest number since the University began its International Women’s Day event in 2005. The Office of International Programs and the Multicultural Resource Center sponsored this year’s event.

Visiting international faculty member Miriam Jorge was cited as a role model by the third speaker, adjunct faculty member Janine Rodrigues Rangel de Assis. As a child, de Assis dreamed of traveling abroad and studying about other cultures. “I met Miriam in 2011, when she was recruiting students” for an exchange program between UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) and UNC Charlotte,  de Assis said. Although working six days a week as a student, de Assis applied for various study abroad programs and almost gave up, until she met Jorge.

“Her goal was to select students with great potential to study racial discrimination in Brazil and the United States,” she said. “After taking exams and being interviewed, I was one of the chosen students … If it wasn’t for her, I would have never come to UNC Charlotte. Because of that program, I was invited to come back for my master’s. Last May, I got my degree, and here I am – still.”

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ employees recognized were Nancy Gutierrez, College dean;  Vivian Lord, Criminal Justice and Criminology and Social Work; Nhora Saxon, Languages and Culture Studies; Debra Smith, Africana Studies; Jamie Strickland, Geography and Earth Sciences; Gabriela Tarazona-Sevillano, Global, International and Area Studies.

Others honored were: Ilana Chertok, nursing; Kathy Fisher, facilities management; Michele Guobadia and Karen Shaffer, student affairs; Megan Hennings, Andrea Houghton, Denise Medeiros, Sheryl Meyer, Rachawan Wongtrirat and Joanne Zhang, international programs; Othelia Lee and Annelise Mennicke, social work; Elizabeth Racine, public health sciences; Emily Ring, undergraduate admissions; Kathleen Trippodo, auxiliary services; Kimberly Turner, Multicultural Resource Center; Aysen Ulupinar, housing and residence life; and Cindy Wolf Johnson, academic services.

See images from the celebration.