2020-2021 LIC Award Winners

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award: Taylor Abair

Taylor Abair has been a member of the LIC Organizing Committee for the last two years, and she presented her research earlier this morning.  Taylor has volunteered doing translation works for the nonprofit organization, Us Together. Latin American studies is the focus of her major and she wants to continue helping the community by working in foreign affairs, specifically with Latin American countries.

Outstanding Graduate Student Award: María Reyes

María Reyes has been an outstanding graduate teaching assistant in the Department of World Languages and Cultures for the past two years. In addition to her work teaching Spanish, she has done a stellar job of coordinating the Día de los Muertos event this year, a task she volunteered for which was outside of her duties as a teaching assistant and for which she received no direct compensation. She coordinated with classes to share an introduction to the topic of the Day of the Dead, she also constructed the altar in Shatzel Hall, and personally prepared food for the day. María has shared her own story with fellow graduate and undergraduate students, helping to personalize the Latina narrative for many students, by sharing her own experiences in the US educational system with others. Her final project for her MA looks at how the US educational system continues to silence Latinx and other minority voices, and offers a platform for correcting the system. María is also a consistent helper to La Comunidad on campus and has participated in several events in conjunction with La Conexión.

Outstanding Faculty Award: Valeria Grinberg Pla 

Valeria Grinberg Pla has been consistently committed to serving the Latino community since she arrived at BGSU in 2006. Through her involvement with La Conexión, Valeria has helped the organization to build connections with both the Latino and non-Latino student populations at BGSU. Early in her tenure at BGSU Valeria joined the service learning community, which was a 2-year commitment. Her goal in participating in this learning experience was to create a course that would allow BGSU students in upper-level and graduate level Spanish classes the opportunity to work with the wider Latino community. Valeria's service learning class has been running every fall for many years now and is regularly cited as a turning point in our students’ learning trajectories. The experience benefits all students by connecting them with people in our local community with whom they can practice their Spanish skills, but most importantly, since the class takes an oral history/testimonial focus, these students begin to understand the more personal side of Latinos in the local community and their journey to integrate into life in NW Ohio. The class benefits the Latino community by offering services to La Conexión and Adelante of Toledo, such as ESL tutoring and translation and interpretation services. These personal connections are a testament to Valeria's goal of promoting social justice beyond the walls of the BGSU community. Her class truly serves the greater good of the whole community. In addition to this labor of love, Valeria has helped to translated documents for the Bowling Green School District in order to make the process of entering school easier for those whose first language is parents. Valeria is also a regular participant in the Not In Our Town events and an active member of La Conexión. Her commitment to the Latino community of NW Ohio and her desire to connect BGSU students with that community show that she deserves the Outstanding Faculty Award.

Outstanding Alumni: Amy Dunaway-Haney

Amy Dunaway-Haney graduated from BGSU in 1992 with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish Education. Dunaway-Haney inspires all of her students at Kettering Fairmont High School to get involved and to keep aspiring to learn about Spanish. She has motivates her Latinx students to be more involved in the Latinx community. In 2016, all 34 of her Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture students who took the exam passed, which was a record at Kettering Fairmont High School. Amy is a positive light in the life of all of her students, and she creates global citizens from her Spanish classes. Many of her former students continue to study Spanish and continue to engage with the Latinx community. Amy was named the 2016-2017 Educator of the Year by the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University.

Community-at-Large Award: Taylor Balderas-Burciaga

Since her appointment as Executive Director of the Sofía Quintero Art & Cultural Center (SQACC), Taylor Balderas-Burciaga has brought new life to this important hub for the Latino/a/x community in Toledo and NW Ohio. The mission of SQACC is to foster community through art and education, to empower the Latino/a/x community, and to create an environment that appreciates cultural diversity. To this aim, SQACC has many educational programs that teach people artisan skills such as gardening, carpentry and cooking, as well as many programs that bring people together for celebrations such as Día de Los Muertos, or to have community conversations about issues that matter to Latinos/as/xs, such as in the "First Friday" of the month gatherings. These are just some of the many initiatives of the center that promote the cultural life of the Latino/a/x community and enhance its well being, helping the community thrive.  At the same time, the center's many events increase the visibility of the Latino/a/x community in NW Ohio, highlighting its contributions to culture and society. Taylor is a very passionate, dedicated art educator and organizer. Her commitment to advancing all lives through art and education is reflected on the mission statement of SQACC: To nurture and enhance the creative abilities of all people through an emphasis on Latina and Latino art and culture. The Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center serves as an oasis for neighborhood residents and local artists.

Miguel Ornelas Award: Margaret Weinberger

The Dr. Miguel Ornelas Award is given in honor of Dr. Miguel Ornelas, a former Human Relations Commission member and Director of Affirmative Action at BGSU. Before his death in 1989, Dr. Ornelas served as an advocate for issues of diversity, as head of the Ohio Hispanic Institute of Opportunity and as a member of the BGSU Graduate Student Senate, Third World Graduate Association, and La Union de Estudiantes Latinos. He was the recipient of the first Hispanic Award from Project Search. Dr. Ornelas touched the lives of all who came in contact with him. The Miguel Ornelas Award is intended to bring attention to the actions and services of those who reflect Dr. Ornelas' values. 

Dr. Margaret Weinberger is a Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Sociology at BGSU. Through her work at the University, in the Bowling Green community, and beyond, Margaret truly embodies the spirit of the Miguel Ornelas award. Margaret has been a frequent instructor of SOC 2160: Minority Groups. Through this course, Margaret introduces students from diverse backgrounds to topics of privilege and inequality in the United States. Students connect theory and research with the lived experiences of those in their own communities and the broader nation. Margaret has served as a McNair Scholar mentor at BGSU. The McNair Scholars Program provides opportunities to define goals, engage for first generation, low-income students, or students who are from a group underrepresented at the doctoral level (African-American, Latino-American, or Native American) in order to encourage and prepare students to pursue graduate studies She also taught ESOL in the English Department in 2015-2016, helping international students to connect with the Bowling Green community.

At La Conexión, Margaret has been our Co-Lead and then Lead Teacher since fall 2015 of the English as a Second Language programs. This program is open to adults with any limited English proficiency individuals in the community. Margaret not only taught the classes but also coordinated the other teachers who assisted in the program. Margaret very generously donated her time for class preparation and teaching. When La Conexión formed its Immigrant Solidarity Committee, Margaret was one of the first persons to join and to work on behalf of our recent immigrant community. She has committed her time and effort towards the Solidarity Committee work to implement educational programs on immigration issues for the general public as well as to directly support the immigrant community. Margaret was instrumental in the organizing and contributing to La Conexión fundraising events for DACA recipients, which helped to pay for DACA permits renewals, birth certificates and passports for families who fearing deportation, and families contesting immigration enforcement actions.

Margaret was a member of the “Welcome BG Task Force for the City of Bowling Green.” She has assisted with the Hispanic Heritage Month dances as well as the mass and activities around the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe at St. Aloysius Church in BG. Margaret serves as a frequent, informal ambassador, seeking to connect her colleagues and friends with opportunities to be a part of these activities as well. She makes a significant difference in the lives of her students, colleagues, friends, and community members through her continued commitment to education, outreach, and social justice.