Congratulations to the 2012 NISOD Award Recipients
ShareOn Wednesday, May 30, seven outstanding Valencia employees were honored at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference in Austin, Texas. During the closing awards ceremony, the following faculty and staff received the 2012 NISOD Excellence Award, and were presented with a medallion and an award booklet to recognize their achievements:
Colin Archibald, professor of computer programming, Suzette Dohany, professor of speech, Coleen Jones, professor of office administration technology, Robert McCaffrey, professor of digital media technology, Amanda Saxman, professor of mathematics, Kimberly Traynor-Foster, manager of learning support services, and Elizabeth Washington, prep math coordinator. (Note: Jody DeVoe, professor of mathematics, is also a 2012 NISOD award recipient, but was unable to attend the conference and is not pictured below.)
Asked what inspires and motivates her, Amanda Saxman shared that, “I hear it at least once a day: ‘Math is not my subject.’ Although I do not expect every student to develop a deep appreciation for math, I find extreme satisfaction in being instrumental to their success in every topic they master, topics they previously claimed as insurmountable roadblocks.”
Finding a way to help students overcome their obstacles is an ideal that Kimberly Traynor-Foster shares. Kimberly referenced the following quote from John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator:
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
“Making ‘life’ attainable and realistic for everyone inspires and motivates me to find new ways to reach students, provide support, and help them recognize what education and life have to offer,” Kimberly explained.
Congratulations to each award recipient for their continuing contribution to improving student learning.
For more information about the NISOD Excellence Award, click here.
