COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SCHOLARSHIP PORTFOLIO (2013) | Seite 119

Chanell Fletcher
Barbara Jordan Award for Student Excellence
Ms. Fletcher was awarded her MPA degree in spring 2013. She
was selected as one of this year’s recipients of the Barbara Jordan
Awards because of her strong academic combined with her dedication
promoting public engagement and increasing civic knowledge around
land use and transportation issues. Her successes in this area reflect
her ability to integrate her academic knowledge, apply it to her work,
and use it to enhance her contributions to the community through
her volunteer work. Ms. Fletcher’s unwavering commitment to
community engagement while pursuing her degree was tested by the
personal challenges she faced while pursuing her degree. In 2010,
Ms. Fletcher was diagnosed with a chronic disease that would occur
sporadically and leave her in debilitating pain. Despite her struggles
with this condition, Ms. Fletcher was able to succeed in her academic,
professional and community-focused work.
Vincent Gordon
Barbara Jordan Award for Student Excellence

Robin Havens
Barbara Jordan Award for Student Excellence
Ms. Robin Havens is being awarded her MPA degree in spring 2013.
She was selected as one of this year’s recipients of the Barbara
Jordan Awards because of her outstanding academic performance
combined with her active demonstrated commitment to working with
communities in San Francisco. When Ms. Havens began the MPA
program, she was a full-time teacher and internship coordinator.
During a summer break from teaching, she completed an internship at
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SCHOOLS

Mr. Vincent Gordon is being awarded his MPA degree in spring
2013. He was selected as one of this year’s recipients of the
Barbara Jordan Awards because of his very strong academic record
combined with his demonstrated long-term commitment to serving
disadvantaged communities in the Bay Area – all while juggling a
series of stressful events at work and at home. Mr. Gordon’s current
work as an Administrator at an affordable housing community is the
most recent example of a 15-year career spent serving at-risk youth,
developmentally disabled youth and adults, and frail and low-income
seniors. Throughout his career, Mr. Gordon has faced a variety of
difficult ethical and fiscal challenges that he had to manage. Not only
did he manage to successfully navigate these challenges, he did so
in a way that engaged the communities he was serving and ensured
that their needs were met. The stress of these work-related challenges
was compounded by challenges Mr. Gordon faced in his personal life,
including a 10-month period of unemployment, the responsibilities
of caring for his daughter, and helping to care for his father, who was
diagnosed with middle stage Alzheimer’s. Despite those challenges,
Mr. Gordon has contributed to a positive learning environment in
and out of the classroom by fostering critical discussions in class,
remaining focused and prepared throughout the semester, and
preparing high-quality written and oral assignments.