2020 MLK service awards

Chioma Heim, an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Psychology, and Aydan Garland‑Miner, a women’s studies major, were honored with Distinguished Service awards at the 2020 WSU Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

“This year’s recipients are blazing a trail through equity and inclusion issues with their creativity, hard work, and compassion for others,” said Allen Sutton, executive director for the WSU Office of Outreach and Education. “Each winner, in some way, advances Dr. King’s dream of a just society for all people.

Heim and Garland-Miner received awards in two different categories:

Education and Inclusion
Heim found her calling to work as a student services practitioner over a decade ago when earning a degree while simultaneously overcoming personal struggles as an underrepresented student. Her experiences provided perspective on overcoming struggles that students face as they strive to develop a sense of identity within an educational landscape that does not always provide enough resources for non‑traditional students.

Altruism and Community Service
Always driven to help people, Garland‑Miner, a dual women’s studies major and broadcast production major, founded a WSU chapter of PERIOD, a global non‑profit that celebrates menstruation and provides menstrual products to those in need, including homeless and low‑income people. PERIOD works to educate the community about the need and lack of access to menstrual products, advocate to abolish the tampon tax, and provides menstrual products to those in need.

Top images: Left, Chioma Heim holding plaque; right, Aydan Garland‑Miner holding plaque, at the 2020 awards ceremony.

Read about all six 2020 Distinguished Service award recipients at WSU Insider.