Student news

Erin Thess and Betsy Bramon were selected to receive the President’s Award for Humanitarian Service at William Jewell College. The President’s Award for Humanitarian Service, established by John and Mary Pritchard in 1985, provides funding for William Jewell students for public service projects during the summer. Students may choose to work with an established service program or agency or may choose to design an entrepreneurial project. The duration of the project may be up to twelve weeks during the summer. The criteria for consideration for the award states that the project should address a compelling human need; it should benefit a specific and identifiable individual or group; and that the benefits of the project should be readily and immediately observable.

Erin traveled with members of the William Jewell Language Department this summer to Guadalajara, Mexico. She worked to establish Service Learning opportunities for Jewell students in Guadalajara at an orphanage, a hospital for children with AIDS, and a senior adult center. Through this project, Erin worked directly with these non-profit organizations, paving the way for future William Jewell students to have quality service learning experiences. Her work will significantly assist the William Jewell Language Department in its effort to integrate service learning in its curriculum.

Betsy worked for Amnesty International this past summer as a research intern. Her research focused on violations of human rights, specifically violence against women, addressing in part sexual assaults against Native American women and the areas of housing and welfare for domestic violence victims. As part of her research, Betsy examined police brutality and issues surrounding human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people as well as custodial sexual misconduct in prisons between inmates and guards. Her research contributed to reports released by Amnesty International dealing with human rights issues around the world.