Mawi Asgedom, president of Mawi Learning, presented the 2019 Dr. David B. Swedlow Memorial College Access Staff Member Award of Excellence to Aaron Faist of the Great Lakes Bay College & Career Resource Center at NCAN's 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis. Aaron accepted the award of behalf of his colleague Renee Aumock.
INDIANAPOLIS—Renee Aumock of the Great Lakes Bay College & Career Resource Center (CCRC) received the 2019 Dr. David B. Swedlow Memorial College Access Staff Member Award of Excellence yesterday at NCAN’s 2019 National Conference. The award recognizes the dedication, hard work, and innovation of an individual working at a college access program.
As the CCRC's senior program officer, Renee leads a team that works to ensure the students of her community, as well as all other underrepresented students, get the support they need to complete a postsecondary education. As a first-generation college graduate herself, Renee understands how difficult it can be for students to navigate the college maze
Renee has served at the CCRC, part of the Bay Area Community Foundation, for the last decade – in fact, she helped lead the community-driven effort to create it. The center provides services such as a college prep survival toolkit, access to college prep service officers, a GED completion program for parents, and much more. Some 600 individuals are impacted annually through direct services provided by the CCRC.
During her 13 years with the Bay Area Community Foundation, Renee has shown her passion to assist people in getting out of poverty by removing barriers to education. Renee makes every effort to reach and connect with students and families on a personal level.
Thanks in large part to Renee’s leadership, hard work, and ability to form partnerships, the Bay Area Community Foundation was also able to create a program that provides 100 first-generation college students with $2,000 scholarships each year. Today, 2 million dollars in scholarships has been invested to assist students with pursuing a postsecondary education.
Mawi Asgedom, president of Mawi Learning, presented the award to Aaron Faist of the Great Lakes Bay College & Career Resource Center, who accepted on behalf of Renee. As the award recipient, Renee’s organization will receive $1,000 to put toward general operating support, scholarships, and/or professional development.
This award was named for former NCAN Director of Programs Dr. David B. Swedlow, after his passing, in honor of his commitment to the cause of college access. Past recipients of this award include:
2016: Ramiro Fonseca, Program Manager for College Access and Success, Project GRAD Houston
2015: Troy Miller, Florida College Access Network
2014: David J. Rodriguez, Metropolitan Education Commission
2013: Cheryl Lee Jones, Program Director, Access College Foundation
2012: Daniel Cruz, Director of Student & Parent Services, Education is Freedom
2011: Samuel Rowser, Program Director, On Point for College
2010: Jerry Henry, Director of High School Advising, uAspire
2009: Linda Shiller, Director Career and Education Outreach, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
2008: Victor Garcia, Director of Outreach Projects, USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis
2007: Angela Whitlow, Program Director, Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
NCAN solicits nominees from its membership for the annual Awards of Excellence in College Access and Success. A committee of NCAN members reviews all nominations, with final decisions confirmed by the NCAN board of directors. NCAN thanks the six members of the 2019 Awards Committee for their service:
Judith Lorimer, Options Center at Goddard Riverside
Cheryl Jones, ACCESS College Foundation
Jamie Covell, Iowa College Aid
Angel Garcia, Georgetown University Center for Multicultural Access & Equity
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