Jeremy Joseph, front, works in the Multicultural Resource Center with Prince Y. Amattoe,
back.
Jeremy Joseph, a University of Wyoming psychology graduate student, is the 2009 recipient of the Willena Stanford Commitment to Diversity Award.
The annual award honors a UW student who, through his or her actions, demonstrates a commitment to enhance and support diversity and equal educational opportunities for all students at UW. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Joseph has actively participated in a diverse array of activities while maintaining a strong academic record.
At UW, Joseph has worked tirelessly to involve Hillel, the world's largest Jewish campus organization, in outreach to the university's diverse student population. He helped build relationships and expand collaborations between Hillel and other groups on campus.
"Through this involvement, Jeremy has provided the opportunity for students to learn not only about Jewish culture and religion but for students to learn about each other's culture, religion and uniqueness," according to Hillel advisers Wendy Berelson and Seth Ward.
Joseph's work at UW has included organizing special events such as the One Arab, One Jew presentation for the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue Week, promoting and showing of Bollywood films from India and the screening of a film to raise awareness of the tragedy in Darfur.
"I know the story of the Holocaust is still quite fresh, and we have learned how easy it is for prejudice to take hold and allow bigotry and violence to spread," says Joseph, of Walnut Creek, Calif. "Getting to know and interacting with people from different backgrounds is just as easy and makes it more difficult for biases and prejudices to spread."
The award honors Willena Wilkinson Stanford, a UW graduate and longtime UW faculty member, a former member of the Martin Luther King/Days of Dialogue Steering Committee and a dedicated advocate for educating and maximizing the potential of all people.
Previous recipients of the award were Adriana Magana of Green River, Zanyaille Lyons of Cheyenne and Helen Chanthongthip of Rawlins.
Posted on Friday, January 30, 2009
