AASE: 10 Years of Winners

Since AASE was founded, it has been a support system for all of those working in Academic Support. A community that uplifts one another, and offers constant support. From my very first conference, where I knew absolutely no one, it was easy to find people willing to share information, guidance, a lesson plan, handouts, or just a meal where you both could commiserate about life.

At the 2016 meeting in New York there was a discussion about starting a tradition of giving out awards. Many thought this was a great idea, since ASPers are generally unsung and unrecognized for their work. It also felt very "Asp-ish" to recognize and support one another in a very official capacity. However, I distinctly remember there were concerns about singling people out, because doesn't EVERYONE work hard? Shouldn't we ALL be recognized for our efforts? Is it ASP-ish to only award SOME of our membership? The reason this stuck with me is because I feel like the conversation really speaks to the essence of AASE - wanting to support each other and lift one another up, but without putting others down or diminishing the accomplishments of others.

Personally, I think we found a great balance and have been able to recognize 20 outstanding AASE members in 5 years, and I can't wait to recognize more in the next 5!

Our very first award winners in 2017 were:

Elizabeth Bloom

Reichi Lee

Joanna Harvest Koren

In 2018 we recognized:

Rebecca Flanagan

Nancy Luebbert

in 2019 we decided to actually name our awards, and recognize:

Amy Jarmon — ASP Inspiration Award

Herb Ramy — Enhancements in ASP Award

Jendayi Saada — Spirit of ASP Award

Shane Dizon — Guiding Light Award

Raul Ruiz — ASP Innovator Award

Kent Lollis — Order of Distinction

Sadly, in 2020 we had to cancel our annual meeting, and didn't get to recognize anyone. However, in 2021, we recognized:

Dena Sonbol — Institutional Leadership Award

Lesa Byrnes — Student Support & Impact Award

Paulina Davis — Mentorship Award

Kirsha Trychta — Impact Award

In 2022, we recognized our first group award, among others:

Academic Support Black Woman's Collective - Guiding Light Award

Antonia Miceli - Enhancements in ASP Award

Goldie Pritchard - ASP Inspirational Award

Liz Stillman - Spirit of ASP Award

Marsha Griggs - ASP Impact Award

Now, it's time to decide who we recognize in 2023! 

If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their work in 2023, please submit a nomination describing why the ASPer deserves recognition to [email protected] by Monday, April 3rd.  

See you in Santa Clara, where registration is still open here. 

(Melissa Hale)