2003 Winners
John Berry, Antelope Valley College
Berry is a dedicated business instructor that has devoted his life to helping underrepresented students achieve success. He has directly helped more than 50 students get admitted, obtain scholarships and grants to historically black colleges and universities. During a recent sabbatical, Berry established articulation agreements with these schools to enhance his effectiveness in mentoring these students. But Berry doesn't stop supporting his students when they leave his classroom, using his own funds, he travels around the United States to find out how their college experience is going. In the classroom, berry designed the first diversity studies courses on his campus to teach students about issues of diversity in business. On the campus, Berry participated in the development of the first sexual harassment policy; encouraged the development of the Job Placement Center; and worked with local minority business owners to determine their needs, help identify suitable employers, and set up an internship program.
Karen Bishop, Porterville College
Bishop has been a tireless advocate for diverse student populations and her efforts have contributed to an improved environment not only at Porterville College, but also in the entire community. Through her development and use of collaborative learning and mentorship, she has been able to use the structure of the college to build connections between the students and the community. Her students have volunteered more than 7,000 hours for community service agencies such as Helping Hands Coup Kitchen, Ola Raza, and United Farm workers. Bishop's advocacy extends beyond the classroom. She reactivated the campus affirmative action and staff diversity committee, encouraged and organized cultural and gender events, blocked or intervened in numerous illegal and unethical hiring practices, and redesigned the training for the Staff Diversity/Affirmative Action Committee.
Denise Dalaimo, Mt. San Jacinto College
Dalaimo has committed herself and her career to developing an academic environment that incorporates multiculturalism into education. She has written several grants that led to the development of a Diversity Library and played a role in the development of an ethnic studies program to be implemented on her campus. Dalaimo's major contribution to her college was the development of the Diversity Celebration that began with Black History Month, then extended through Womens History Month, and now is almost a semester long celebration of diversity in the community. She has incorporated diversity into the classroom and has served on a hiring committee that has brought in faculty members from underrepresented groups.
Catherine Motoyama, College of San Mateo
Motoyama has devoted both her professional and personal life to working for the ideals and principles supporting diversity. Her dedication can be seen in her many accomplishments from her creation of the STEM Mentoring Project and Asian Student Union and ESL Club to her creative classroom curriculum including a bilingual production of the Angel Island Poems, which demonstrate her commitment to actively engaging students of color/ethnicity in campus life. Motoyama is not only engaged at the local level in actively promoting diversity but has also participated at the state level by serving on several statewide committees including the Senate s Affirmative Action/Cultural Diversity and Chancellor's Office advisory committees.