Normally awarded at the CTAHR Annual Banquet, this year’s Dean’s Award recipients will be honored here, on your laptops and tablets, and with their names carved into the plaques that adorn Gilmore Hall. Prize monies will also be distributed.
2020 Dean’s Award for Ka Hana Po‘okela student service
AlannaMarie Salas and Michelle Au
AlannaMarie, who is graduating from the Human Development and Family Studies program, has served as a CTAHR student ambassador to introduce prospective students to her program and as professional development chair of the Friends of the Family Club, and she’s contributed to the revamping of the HDFS website and social media.
AlannaMarie’s initiative goes beyond the college. She also works with the Kalihi Leadership Academy and Kalihi Kidz Program, focusing on building reading, math, and social-emotional skills in Kalihi’s elementary and middle school students.
CTAHR’s Dean Nicholas Comerford notes, “The purpose of being a CTAHR ambassador is to represent the college in a variety of ways. We often find that our ambassadors are active in all kinds of service. AlannaMarie Salas is an example of that ethic of service to students, her department and her college.”
Michelle, a master’s student in the Entomology program, is praised by faculty, peers, and students alike. She currently serves as the president of the CTAHR Student Ambassador program and president of the Entomology graduate student club Ka Mea Kolo, and she has been elected as president of the CTAHR Alumni Association.
Each of these organizations contributes significantly to CTAHR on many levels, from directly serving students to connecting with alumni and creating networks that will provide opportunities for current CTAHR students.
Dean Comerford says, “Michelle Au was one of the first students I met when I came to CTAHR, and we traveled together during CTAHR’s ‘Meaningful Experience’ trip to Hawai‘i Island. I was impressed with her as a person and a professional then, and my impression has only grown over the years.”
Ania Wieczorek, PhD
Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs (Interim)
College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources