February 10, 2020
By RCAH Communications
Professor Estrella Torrez of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University has been cited as an Inspirational Woman of the Year for her leadership in the area of community engagement and for championing women working in community engagement.
Torrez and the other recipients will be honored at the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award Reception Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at MSU’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts.
In nominating Torrez for the award, RCAH Dean Stephen Esquith stated that the longtime RCAH professor “has been especially attentive to the important roles that women play as community leaders and has been an untiring exemplary advocate for them.”
Torrez's research centers on language politics and the importance of community-based knowledge, particularly among rural Latino families and urban Indigenous youth.
“Torrez is an ideal recipient of this award in the category of community engagement,” Esquith said. “Her teaching and research are informed by her work in communities. Her community engagements are deepened by her research, which is co-generated with community partners. She has truly been an ‘inspirational woman.’”
The Inspirational Woman of the Year (IWOTY) Awards, managed by MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen), honor MSU employees in the categories of Community Engagement, Culture of Empowerment, and Professional Achievement. Women from the mid-Michigan community are recognized in the categories of Community Engagement and Culture of Empowerment.
The 2020 IWOTY recipients are:
The Woman Student Leader of the Year Awards are managed by MSU Women*s Student Services, within the Division of Students Affairs and Services. These awards are in their inaugural year, honoring both undergraduate and graduate student leaders. The 2020 recipients are:
According to GenCen, these qualities are exhibited by the six 2020 Inspirational Woman of the Year Awardees and the two 2020 Women Student Leader of the Year Awardees:
GenCen and Women*s Student Services are co-hosting the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award Reception on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The reception will take place from 5:30-7:30p.m. in the Jackson Lounge of MSU’s Wharton Center, and is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite (https://tinyurl.com/iwoty2020) for $10.00, and each ticket includes a drink ticket, hors d'oeuvres, and a commemorative wine glass.