For the past 3 years, the Division of Student Affairs has come together to recognize and celebrate the amazing work our staff has accomplished. Nominated by their peers and reviewed by a selection committee (Annamaria Wenner, Peter Fowler, Professor Beth-Anne Cook Cornell and student Hayley Patton), these award recipients represent the Division’s commitment to students through their daily work, service on committees, and actions which support the Division and/or Institute. We are pleased to share with you this year’s award recipients…
Inspire Award
This award is given to an individual who is influential in creating an inspirational work environment. The person is someone who encourages the involvement of others through teamwork. The recipient helps others be successful through role modeling, encouragement and inclusivity. This individual is able to positively impact, engage and support the Wentworth community.
The 2016 recipient of the Inspire Award is Kelly DeSisto, Resident Director.
One nominator wrote: It is with much enthusiasm that I nominate Kelly DeSisto for the division’s 
Inspire Award. Kelly’s care, dedication, warm personality, and willingness to go the extra mile make her an ideal nominee for the award. Kelly brings her heart to her position and to Wentworth every day. She’s deeply invested in our students through developing positive and meaningful relationships with students. She supports the RA staff, helped with the NSO staff this summer, engages with students through Safe Space / diversity initiatives, and through First Year seminar. She helps students develop confidence and find value to their role in our community. Kelly is frequently a go-to person with supporting new staff members. She frequently helps other acclimate, including helping new staff learn student conduct practice, community development initiatives, and on-call responsibilities. She’s quick to find positivity in others and help recognize her fellow colleagues.
Empower Award
This award is given to an individual in recognition of work that has demonstrated the principle of putting students first. This individual provides programs or services that balance educational needs with customer service. The recipient strives to develop procedures, services, programs or services that are both welcoming and efficient in order to enhance the overall student experience and encourage personal growth. This individual provides opportunities for students to be empowered within their academic and social lives at Wentworth.
The 2016 recipient of the Empower Award is Award is The Center for Wellness and Disability Support Services for Project 40.
The nominator wrote: Project 40 brought a wonderful wellness program to the entire institute. It’s easy to get on board and has wonderful positive effects on others. The program has taken root in 
the short time it has been around. Students respond well to the science and easy to follow tips the team provides. It is nice to have common language that empowers staff to incorporate positivity into their own practice. I have heard many FYS instructors mention that they used various mindfulness exercises with their students. I added “what’s making you happy this week” to my regular routine with the class. Additionally, we are able to use this in our 1-1 conversations with student leaders.
Innovate Award
This award is given to an individual who demonstrates innovation through the development or enhancement of programs or services that meet the changing needs of the campus. The individual has an ability to be creative in the usage of people, budgets or technology. Their efforts contribute to creating a positive and inclusive work environment as well as providing quality service to students.
The recipient of the Innovate Award is Chris Scanlon, Assistant Director of Campus Life.
The nominator wrote: Chris has taken leadership program in a creative direction. This has allowed engagement with students who do not typically take advantage of leadership education. These are in addition to the improvements he’s made to the Wentworth Leadership Institute and the Leadership Education Workshop Series he continues to grow and develop. Two programs exemplify his 
creativity and approach to educating students about leadership: Escape the Room & Leadership through Improv. Both programs had a mix of established student leaders and those who had not engaged with our programs before. During Escape the Room, students had to work together to solve puzzles & programs that would lead to the code that allowed egress from “the room.” It is something people do for fun, in general, and Chris capitalized on that. The event sold out in under a half hour. He then took a passive role in the group, so he could observe, and then lead a debrief to help the students better understand their actions and impacts as team members. Improv consisted of a group of 12 students who attended eight weeks Improv classes. This class was designed to help the students be better leaders through seeing the possibility in situations, use humor to defuse situations, and improve their skills in reacting quickly to things. Some students joined the class because they thought it sounded fun. Others shared that they felt they were “too shy” and wanted to improve on that. The students committed to the program and performed as the opening act for Improv Boston when they did a Wentworth show as part of Weekends @ WIT. These students are now implementing the items learned, particularly “yes, and…” into their leadership practice.
Collaboration Award
This award is given to a committee or special project group for demonstrating great work which exemplifies collaboration, communication and community. The recipients work to create, support or strengthen an environment of being a “team player.” Their collective work has demonstrated the creation of new programs or services, improvement of current program or service and has resulted in high quality outcomes. This group exemplifies teamwork, inclusion and consensus-building as they work to achieve Divisional goals and objectives. Nominees for this award can either be within one department or include individuals from various departments.
The recipients for this year’s Collaboration Award is the New Student Programs Professional Team (includes Emily Smedick, Kelly DeSisto and AJ Andreucci).
Going into the summer of 2015, New Student Programs faced the challenge of running New Student Orientation without a director. It was through the dedicated collaboration of several key 
division members that NSO not only happened, but had one of its best years ever. AJ Andreucci, Katherine Bahrawy, Kelly DeSisto and Emily Smedick came together to plan and execute a successful program that included new and innovative program components to best serve our new students. As a team these four debuted a brand new registration system including a new communication plan, introduced gender inclusive housing as an overnight option, and re-imagined student leader training. Because of their efforts 84% of new students attended Orientation when our goal had been 82%. A number of students participated in gender inclusive housing without incident. And the student staff which was comprised of all new staff members did an excellent job of role modeling success for our new students. There was even 100% Baker key retention throughout all three sessions! Katherine, AJ, Kelly, and Emily formed a supportive team that set high expectations for themselves and worked hard to put together a program that positively impacted our new students.
