{"id":38333,"date":"2018-05-09T13:07:22","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T17:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=38333"},"modified":"2018-05-09T13:35:06","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T17:35:06","slug":"tributes-by-faculty-and-staff-for-2018-cords-of-distinction-awardees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/tributes-by-faculty-and-staff-for-2018-cords-of-distinction-awardees\/","title":{"rendered":"Tributes by faculty and staff for 2018 Cords of Distinction honorees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ten graduating seniors were honored as Cords of Distinction<\/a> recipients in a ceremony Saturday afternoon, May 5, 2018, at 草莓社区 (EMU).<\/p>\n

Faculty, staff and fellow students nominated the recipients, who were cited for their \u201csignificant and verifiable impact\u201d on the university and on student life; for their contributions to developing the institution\u2019s positive image; for substantial contributions to the Harrisonburg\/Rockingham County area and beyond; for their high academic and social standing; and their embodiment of EMU\u2019s shared values of Christian discipleship, community, service and peacebuilding.<\/p>\n

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Emily Clatterbuck hugs education department chair Cathy Smeltzer Erb after receiving congratulations for her Teacher of Promise award at the fall recognition chapel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Emily Clatterbuck:<\/strong> presented by Paul J. Yoder, PhD, assistant professor of teacher education\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Emily Clatterbuck has confidently declared that \u201cTeachers are leaders,\u201d contending that \u201cTeachers work to create positive change through their leadership. They set examples for their students and colleagues, and they help one another: students and colleagues. Teachers teach because they have been called to lead.\u201d In her sense of conviction\u2014and more importantly through her actions in both classrooms here on EMU\u2019s campus and in local public schools\u2014Emily Clatterbuck exemplifies the EMU Teacher Education mission of \u201cteaching boldly in a changing world through an ethic of care and critical reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emily has put her commitment to the EMU community and the teaching profession into practice through many leadership and service engagements. As the secretary and then president of the Student Education Association, Emily planned a book drive and canned food drive aimed at giving back to the local community. She contributed to the professional development of current education students through planning a panel for first-year teachers. Emily also contributed to the life of the university through organizing childcare during EMU Homecoming and planning a Language & Literature Department chapel with professors Kirsten Beachy and Carol Snell-Feikema.<\/p>\n

Emily has helped to communicate EMU\u2019s mission to those beyond the campus community. She contributed to recruiting local prospective education students through her work in Admissions and volunteered her time to assist in the Education Department during Scholarship Day. Emily has also intentionally sought opportunities to extend her learnings from her cross-cultural semester in Guatemala and Colombia through utilizing her Spanish fluency in the classroom and attending events that support local immigrant communities.<\/p>\n

A native of Rockingham County, Emily has continued to invest in the local community. She volunteers with fundraising events at the Grottoes Volunteer Fire Department. Emily also seeks opportunities to work with children such as reading to young people at Second Home Childcare and doing crafts with participants of Ridgeway Mennonite Church\u2019s Kids Club.<\/p>\n

Finally, Emily has excelled in the classroom. She is an engaged and conscientious student. More importantly, however, is the balance Emily strikes, being quick to speak up in class, yet making room for multiple voices during class discussion. Emily is the recipient of the Carroll Yoder Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of her academic excellence in both literary studies and education courses. Emily was also one of five Teachers of Promise awardees<\/a>. We applaud Emily for all she has achieved already and for answering the call to be a teacher who authentically cares for students of all backgrounds and thus leads by example.<\/p>\n

\u00a0D<\/strong>rew Diaz: presented by Maria Esther Showalter, MA, multicultural student advisor<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Drew Diaz contributes the Easter alfombra created by the Latino Student Alliance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are living in times when people seek power or a position of leadership to benefit themselves. However, a few leaders shine even brighter because their leadership style is so different. In 1970, Robert K. Greenleaf published his first essay, entitled “The Servant As Leader,” which introduced the term “servant leadership.” Of his philosophy, Robert Greenleaf wrote, “The servant-leader is servant first… Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drew Diaz has impacted our campus with his gentleness and genuine care and service for others. A popular saying describes Drew very well, \u201cActions speak louder than words.\u201d His ability to listen empathetically is unique and a gift to those who surround him. His professors say that he is great at building community in his classes, encouraging and willing to work hard, helping others is part of who he is. Drew makes people special simply by listening to them and walking with them. He accepts people for who they are. His friends and classmates think highly of Drew and feel comfortable around him because he treats people with respect and he is always ready to lend a hand at all times. From the very first time that Drew joined the Latino Student Alliance, he was ready to roll up his sleeves and do any kind of work. He always asked, \u201cHow can I help?\u201d It is evident that he enjoys serving people and gladly goes the extra mile. One of my favorite memories about Drew was when his peers nominated him to lead the new student orientation mixer. He said it was out of his comfort zone and he had never done anything like that before. He did an incredible job and a natural leader was born before our eyes.<\/p>\n

Drew has been consistently committed and responsible to his studies while being an active member of the Latino Student Alliance. He was always dedicated and faithful to the many events organized throughout the year. He was also a support for the Multicultural and International Student Services. Drew volunteered with On the Road Collaborative that empowers young people at Skyline Middle School. He also volunteered with Medical Ministry International in Honduras. This experience made a huge impact in his life. He actively tried to incorporate these experiences within his daily interactions at EMU.<\/p>\n

Drew, we want to thank you for servant heart and your willingness to help at all times. We know that you will continue caring for others. Just as Maya Angelou once said, \u201cI\u2019ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Harrison Horst helped to revitalize the EMU jazz band during his junior year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Harrison Horst: presented by Jenni Holsinger, PhD, associate professor of sociology<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s a theme that underlies Harrison’s extensive involvement across EMU\u2019s campus. It is important to understand this theme if you want to understand the connection between solar panels and saxophones.\u00a0What many people recognize about Harrison, including those who nominated him for this award, is his collaborative energy and his attention to building community.<\/p>\n

Read more about Harrison Horst’s many involvements at EMU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Harrison is motivated by a radical vision for a more nuanced form of community.\u00a0His understanding of community is not limited to some narrow, superficial conceptualization.\u00a0I suggest that Harrison has added three dimensions to the idea of community that are desperately needed.<\/p>\n

First, Harrison exemplifies a broad sense of community that is inclusive of all life around us.\u00a0Harrison\u2019s community includes the natural environment that connects all of our lives. We see this in his dedication to Earthkeepers, the first student club he joined upon arriving at EMU from Pennsylvania.\u00a0His advocacy for the environment remained strong through his four years at EMU. It included a research position with the new Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions, and culminated in the form of a well-received podcast entitled “Shifting Climates” which he developed, in partnership, for his capstone project in the honors program. Read more here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Second, Harrison understands community-building to be key in solving our social and environmental problems.\u00a0An example of this is the work he was involved in connecting low-income homeowners in Harrisonburg with free energy auditing service.\u00a0He has served his local urban community by volunteering with groups like Renew Rocktown and Harrisonburg Renaissance, and he has served local communities elsewhere by leading service trips over school breaks.<\/p>\n

Lastly, Harrison demonstrates the power and responsibility that comes from being an individual who is part of a larger institution.\u00a0Harrison has given tirelessly for four years from the gifts he has been given and as a multi-talented individual he has many gifts.\u00a0As a skilled musician he helped to revitalize the EMU jazz band. As an expert wordsmith he served as staff and editor for EMU\u2019s newspaper.\u00a0Even his strong academic skills he looked to share through formal and informal tutoring for his peers.<\/p>\n

Harrison has been an inspiration to me.\u00a0Not only does he exhibit an extraordinary sociological imagination but he has shown that students can leave a legacy.\u00a0He has asked EMU to challenge itself.\u00a0And he has provided a model for us to follow.\u00a0Harrison has made the most out of every moment here, even up to the last week of his senior year by way of his second semester-long cross cultural trip.\u00a0And I suspect he will continue to be involved in the student solar project even after he walks across the stage.<\/p>\n

Harrison, we honor you today with the Cords of Distinction and we encourage you to continue building communities. You will be missed in the capacities you have served here but I trust that you will continue to influence our lives in new ways.\u00a0Blessings as you \u201cleap forward in faith of a greater plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Maleke Jones performs during EMU’s celebration of the life of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maleke Jones: Presented by Kirby Dean, MS, head men\u2019s basketball coach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maleke Jones represents everything that administration, faculty, staff and alumni want to define 草莓社区 graduates. Of all the young men I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work with at EMU over the last 15 years, in none have I witnessed so much growth as I have seen in Maleke \u2013 in the classroom, on the basketball floor, concerning social issues, and in all facets of life. Four years ago I encountered a teenager in Charles Town, West Virginia, who had unlimited potential but was blind to the great things he was capable of accomplishing. Today a mature man stands before me who has found himself while here at EMU and yet still has only scratched the surface of the positive influence he can have on this world moving forward.<\/p>\n

Listen to Maleke \u201cMeechy Jay\u201d Jones perform “Caged Bird”<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The thing that separates Maleke from his peers is the sacrifices he has been willing to make to find success here at EMU. Few have been privy to these sacrifices as I. I often wonder how many student athletes would be willing to work through school breaks for facilities management, including spring break as well as all summer long, instead of going home and hanging with friends or heading to the beach, in order to be able to afford school?\u00a0 I\u2019m often curious as to how many student athletes would go through the re-habilitation of tearing every ligament in their ankle and return as one of the best point guards in the entire Old Dominion Athletic Conference<\/a>?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to know how many student athletes had to go through an appeals process just to get admitted to a college and yet carry a high GPA during their senior year at that same college. We live in an environment of statistics, probabilities, and projections; I wonder what the probability of Maleke Jones graduating from EMU was back when he committed to EMU in the spring of 2014?\u00a0 I\u2019d say the probability was less than 5 percent and yet here we stand today to celebrate his graduation, present him with Cords of Distinction, and relish all the positive things he has brought to the EMU community.<\/p>\n

Maleke\u2019s list of involvements is stellar: Whether working with Campus Activity Council or the Black Student Union, doing volunteer work with the Special Olympics or Unified Games, speaking his faith at Aletheia Church, playing basketball or singing his rhymes of racial equality and social justice, Maleke always seems to be involved in activities that benefit others in some way. The measure of a great basketball player is the ability to make those around him more successful, I\u2019d say Maleke does this on the basketball floor as well as in life. It has been an honor to recruit Maleke, coach Maleke, and present him with his Cords of Distinction.\u00a0 Thank you Maleke, and I can\u2019t wait to see all the great things you are going to do with the rest of your life!<\/p>\n

Keyri Lopez-Godoy: Presented by Ron Schultz, MEd, instructor in teacher education, PK-6 program coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Keyri Lopez-Godoy with mentor Louise Gallagher after the Donning of the Kente ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was something notably special about Keyri from the moment she arrived at EMU three short years ago. Her inquisitive nature, passion for life, gracious and humble spirit, and her care and concern for others are qualities that have endeared her to many at EMU and the local community. The scope of Keyri\u2019s influence is evidenced in the comments of those across campus who nominated her for this special recognition, ranging from peers to professors and staff personnel from various departments. The adjectives used to describe Keyri included: conscientious, caring, dedicated, sincere, compassionate, brave, articulate and inspiring!<\/p>\n

Read more about Keyri’s journey to EMU and her calling to teach.<\/a><\/p>\n

Keyri views service as a calling, and as a way to pass on the blessings that she has received from many others. She says,<\/p>\n

I am an instrument of God (who has the opportunity) to make a difference in somebody else\u2019s life, even if it is just with a smile. When I am in service I enter into relationship, I walk the path with others, I enter into an endless world of possibilities and the chance to spread the most powerful tool any human has: love.<\/em><\/p>\n

Her motivation to serve is also rooted in the modeling of her family, beginning with the influence of her grandparents during those early childhood years in El Salvador, and the determination, work ethic and unwavering faith as exemplified by her parents during the process of relocating to the United States when Keyri was in third grade. Throughout her educational journey, many teachers, mentors and peers have inspired her to set high expectations and give her best effort in everything she does. Those early experiences of learning English as a second language have also served as a motivation to teach young students during such an influential time in their lives.<\/p>\n

After just her first semester at EMU, Keyri accepted the role of ministry assistant as an opportunity to encourage others in their faith journey. During the last two years, she has served as a community advisor while also filling the role of secretary for the Student Government Association for a semester. Other on-campus involvements have included participation in EMU\u2019s Rotaract Club, the Latino Student Alliance Club, and as a conversation partner for international students in the Intensive English Program.<\/p>\n

Keyri\u2019s acts of service have extended beyond campus through her involvement in other local initiatives and organizations. She engaged with the Alterna Community in Georgia during a Y-Serve trip; she has used her bilingual skills to translate documents for local schools; and she has helped to inspire local high school students who have the opportunity to become first-generation college students. Perhaps one of the more courageous forms of service in the last year has been her advocacy work in raising social awareness to immigration and Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)-related issues<\/a>. She helped to coordinate events on and off campus by sharing her own story, including an EMU chapel service, Q&A sessions, and a march in downtown Harrisonburg in an effort to gain support for those impacted by DACA legislation and the Dream Act.<\/p>\n

Service has clearly characterized Keyri\u2019s contributions to the EMU community; and although current legislation makes the future somewhat uncertain, Keyri\u2019s faith and compassion for others will continue to motivate her efforts wherever she goes. Thank you, Keyri, for the many ways you have blessed our community at EMU.<\/p>\n

Michaela Mast: Presented by Judy Mullet, PhD, professor of psychology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine a world where<\/p>\n

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Michaela Mast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n