Greetings,
This year marks the 95th anniversary of Black History Month (#BHM), founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson as Negro History Week. This period was designed to acknowledge the history, culture, and plight of African American people in the United States. It is a time to celebrate the immeasurable contributions that African Americans have made across our society, an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to discuss the Black Experience. BHM is a time to learn how to understand and admire one another’s strengths and genuinely embrace the benefits of a multicultural, multiracial society.
Black History Month in 2021 is distinctive. It follows the losses of heroes like John Lewis, Cicely Tyson, Dr. James Netters, Dr. Katherine Johnson, David Dinkins, Chadwick Boseman, Joe Clark, and Hank Aaron—to name a few. It also follows the election of Kamala Harris—the United States’ first Black, first South Asian American, and first woman vice president in its history. Legends such as these represent diversity in talents, gifts, and accomplishments within the Black community. We honor them and others who have made their mark on our world.
While we celebrate the leaders and progress of the past, we are reminded how much work remains to achieve our mission of equality. We are not where we need to be, but as we continue to work toward our goal, we will take this time to renew our commitment to being agents of change. Together, as a community of exceptional students, faculty, and staff with a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences, we must embrace this challenge and work on finding innovative solutions. We must be powerful advocates for eliminating inequities and disparities that persist, to the detriment of not only African Americans, but also to the rest of our society, which is diminished by the existence of those inequities. This is done beyond the sounds of our voices but through expressions of action that make a difference in creating opportunities for change.
This month, the Office of Student Affairs honors Walden’s Living Legends, beginning with our Spotlight of Isaac Cudjoe, Chief of Staff for the Office of the President, Director of the Center for Social Change, and PPA Student. To join in the celebration, we invite you to follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WaldenStudentAffairs.
To that end, I am reminded of Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb,” recited at President Biden’s inauguration. As I watched in admiration of the magnitude of her words, one powerful passage captured my heart, in particular:
We are striving to forge a union with purpose,
to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors,
characters and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us,
but what stands before us.
What stands before us in this moment is a chance to make and shape history and to promote equity and inclusion for all. Let us commit Amanda Gorman’s inspiring words to action. I beseech you to #BeTheChange!
In the spirit of change,
Dr. Rochelle Gilbert (Dr. Ro)
2020 Q3/Q4 Winners
College Winners
Academic Performance, (Daniela Hernandez Sanchez, CMT). This award recognizes excellence in academic performance as an undergraduate student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating undergraduate student for excellence in scholarship.
Citizenship, (Sonya Antoine, CSBS). This award recognizes excellence in scholarship and service as a master’s student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating master’s student for excellence in citizenship contributions that have impacted positive social change in their community during his or her graduate program.
Citizenship, (Kimberly Wilmoth, COEL). This award recognizes excellence in scholarship and service as a master’s student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating master’s student for excellence in citizenship contributions that have impacted positive social change in their community during his or her graduate program.
Citizenship, (Tijani Salami, CHP). This award recognizes excellence in scholarship and service as a master’s student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating master’s student for excellence in citizenship contributions that have impacted positive social change in their community during his or her graduate program.
Citizenship, (Miner Lin Stevenson, CMT). This award recognizes excellence in scholarship and service as a master’s student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating master’s student for excellence in citizenship contributions that have impacted positive social change in their community during his or her graduate program.
Leadership Excellence, (Morgan Murphy, CHP). This award recognizes doctoral student excellence as a leader who embodies the ideals expressed in the Walden University Mission. Presented for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship, and Mentorship honoring a graduating doctoral student for leadership contributions that have increased in breadth and depth to the Walden University communities during his or her doctoral program.
Leadership Excellence, (Leah Donn, COEL). This award recognizes doctoral student excellence as a leader who embodies the ideals expressed in the Walden University Mission. Presented for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship, and Mentorship honoring a graduating doctoral student for leadership contributions that have increased in breadth and depth to the Walden University communities during his or her doctoral program.
Leadership Excellence, (Tenisha Mack, CSBS). This award recognizes doctoral student excellence as a leader who embodies the ideals expressed in the Walden University Mission. Presented for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship, and Mentorship honoring a graduating doctoral student for leadership contributions that have increased in breadth and depth to the Walden University communities during his or her doctoral program.
Leadership Excellence, (Nadia Delanoy, CMT). This award recognizes doctoral student excellence as a leader who embodies the ideals expressed in the Walden University Mission. Presented for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship, and Mentorship honoring a graduating doctoral student for leadership contributions that have increased in breadth and depth to the Walden University communities during his or her doctoral program.
Overall Winners
Academic Performance, (Daniela Hernandez Sanchez, CMT). This award recognizes excellence in academic performance as an undergraduate student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating undergraduate student for excellence in scholarship.
Citizenship, (Sonya Antoine, CSBS). This award recognizes excellence in scholarship and service as a master’s student who embodies the ideals expressed in Walden University’s core values and a commitment to serving humankind. Presented for Distinguished Scholarship, Service and Citizenship honoring a graduating master’s student for excellence in citizenship contributions that have impacted positive social change in their community during his or her graduate program.
Leadership Excellence, (Nadia Delanoy, CMT). This award recognizes doctoral student excellence as a leader who embodies the ideals expressed in the Walden University Mission. Presented for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship, and Mentorship honoring a graduating doctoral student for leadership contributions that have increased in breadth and depth to the Walden University communities during his or her doctoral program.
Isaac is an uncle, brother, and friend to those ready to do the work that needs to be done. Isaac currently serves as the Chief of Staff and Director of the Center for Social Change at Walden University. Isaac is a community organizer, social entrepreneur, and champion for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Before joining Walden University in 2019, Isaac co-founded two community action groups that he is very passionate about.
Launching in 2018, The ReTurn Movement's mission was to mobilize migrants (the Diaspora) to reconnect with their traced lineages, empower them to reclaim their sense of identity, and unite them with locals living in the places they reconnected with to build more inclusive societies. In 2019, Isaac teamed up with Kevin Isabelle-Peete to create "Brothers with Books" (BWB), a community action group in Maryland's Montgomery County. The action group started to break down walls, build bridges, keep community leaders accountable and, above all else, promote a deep love for their neighbors. Isaac says that they were motivated by an experience of personal humiliation caused by the public system: "a few years ago, Kevin and I were pulled over by four undercover police officers who interrogated us for hours, searched us and the car, fingerprinted us, and more…simply because we 'matched a description' — one that was solely based on the color of our skin." The two transformed that experience into a fight for equity and improving access and literacy in our area, beginning with distributing free books to those who lacked equal access to reading material in the summer. BWB has distributed 20,000 books and given 7 scholarships to recognize Black and Brown students within the community. 
For Isaac, service is not a choice. It is a vocation he is proud to be called to. Driven by his passion for community development and youth engagement, Isaac also hopes to help our Walden community inspire social change agents to do more and be more for the places they call home. Isaac is also earning his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration at Walden.
Summer Parrott is graduating with a Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion. During her time in the program, she served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the School of Health Sciences undergraduate programs, providing support to faculty and students in first year and high-risk health courses. Summer has a M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling and is certified in PREPARE/ENRICH premarital counseling, Theraplay, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She opened a nonprofit Wellness consulting company in Iowa in 2020, where her primary focus is helping women and children who suffer from emotional trauma. She is also an ordained wedding officiant and preforms over 150 weddings per year. After graduating from Walden, Summer’s goal is to revolutionize the way low-income women receive prenatal care by pushing for a collaborative care model which includes psychosocial support.
Theonita A. Cox, also known as Thea, is a proud single mother of a daughter, two dogs (7-year-old Pitbull and 2.5-year-old German Rottweiler). She chose Walden to continue my doctoral pursuit and ascertain my Ph.D. in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Emergency Management. Theonita is a dependable and passionate individual, working in all aspects of emergency management and mitigation of emergencies. She recently retired as Assistant Division Chief within the Kenosha Fire Department Fire Prevention Bureau. Having been a (30+) year veteran of the fire service with 25 years as a member of the Kenosha Fire Department, her “personal mission” was to bring fire prevention and disaster preparedness to the community which resulted in risk reduction. 
She completed her certification as an Executive Fire Officer within the National Fire Academy’s Prestigious Executive Fire Officer (EFO) Program. Her experiences have allowed her to become resilient and she is elated to be a part of the Walden Community.
Pictured right - Theonita is pictured with Kenosha Fire Department.
Walden University provides several opportunities for students and faculty to engage in formal student organizations. These organizations take the form of honor societies, professional organizations, and affinity groups.
Participation in student organizations affords the opportunity to increase your engagement with Walden University, hold leadership positions as officers, and identify opportunities for networking and professional development. Many of our student organizations have very active members that participate in activities such as induction ceremonies, discussions on professional and social networking sites, webinars on professional development topics, research groups, service events, and participation in Walden University’s annual Global Days of Service.
Join the WaldenU Student Organizations FB page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/waldenustudentorgs
Disability Services at Walden – Reminder about our great Student Assistance Program!
This is a reminder that students with documented disabilities may request accommodations by contacting us at disability@mail.waldenu.edu. We are seeing some students who have had COVID 19 with lingering symptoms. Depending on the severity of symptoms, those students may be considered temporarily disabled and, therefore, eligible for services.
The pandemic also has significant impact on mental health, – for everyone – not just those with the diagnosis. That is why Walden University is pleased to announce the expansion of our wellness resources to include free 1:1 counseling. Beginning immediately, you can schedule three virtual or in-person sessions with a licensed counselor per household member, per concern at no charge to you through our Student Assistance Program (SAP) provider ComPsych. Finding balance in managing the demands of work, family and school can be a struggle and Walden is committed to holistically supporting our students whenever possible. It has never been more challenging – or more important – for all of us to make our mental health and wellness a top priority.
Call ComPsych anytime about concerns such as marital, relationship and family problems; stress, anxiety, and depression; grief and loss; job pressures; or substance abuse. All communications are strictly confidential.
To initiate your three sessions with a licensed counselor, please call ComPsych using Walden’s dedicated line 24/7 (1-866-465-8942)/ (TDD: 1-800-697-0353) International: (1-312-595-0074).
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Executive Functioning: #6 in a series
Memory: utilizing working memory and accessing recall
Amy Bailey, Associate Director Disability Services
Today we will be taking a closer look at memory, one of our six executive functions. As a reminder, executive functioning is a term for activities in the brain that orchestrate goal-oriented action. Working memory is the processing of short-term memories. Something as simple as a conversation uses working memory – you need to hear what is said, understand, and respond. Working memory “allows us to make sense of the world around us,” Peter Doolittle in a Ted Talk on working memory. Sounds important, right? If you lose your keys regularly, or your place in a conversation, you know that working memory is vital for day-to-day functioning. Following multi-step directions, planning, organizing, reading, and writing all use working memory. All of these are critical in life, at work, and with assignments. For those who get lost frequently, have lots of unfinished projects at home, or reread the same paragraph several times, are there things we can do to strengthen working memory? Or compensate for memory deficits? YES!
Executive functioning (EF) is impaired by stress, fatigue, and anxiety. People who do not typically struggle with organization, focus, or emotional control, find themselves struggling during a pandemic. If, however, you are finding the stress, isolation, anxiety of the pandemic overwhelming, please do keep in mind that Walden does have a Student Assistance Program that will provide three free counseling sessions for you and each member of your household. To initiate your three sessions with a licensed counselor, please call ComPsych using Walden’s dedicated line 24/7 (1-866-465-8942)/ (TDD: 1-800-697-0353) International: (1-312-595-0074).
References
Doctoral Student Classroom Change to SafeAssign from Turnitin
Doctoral classrooms have moved from Turnitin to SafeAssign as our preferred originality check software program. For your Capstone drafts, you have three submission options. Below is a list of those three areas and guidance on when to submit.
From the Submit Assignments area of the classroom:
For technical assistance with SafeAssign, students can contact the Customer Case Team at 1-800-WALDENU, option 2. Walden’s SafeAssign and Academic Integrity Tutorial can be viewed here.
Chat with Career Services During Drop-In Advising
Do you have a quick, career-related question? Meet with a Walden University Career Services member no matter where you are in the world. Participate from your home, office, or favorite coffee shop via your laptop, tablet or other internet-enabled device.
This event features 10-minute meetings with members of the Career Services team which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Possible topics to discuss are career goals, job search strategies, interview skills, networking, or LinkedIn.
Career Services will provide you with resources and suggest the next steps in your journey toward career success. Visit our website to view monthly Drop-In Advising opportunities!
How To Make the New Normal Your Normal
The global pandemic has changed how people work, learn and socialize. While many organizations were slowly moving toward remote work, the pandemic accelerated the change at warp speed. The result has disrupted our society in ways that we do not fully understand. While the push to work from home was originally a response to controlling the spread of COVID-19, there are signs that it is here to stay. According to a Gartner survey, more than 80% of company leaders intend to allow remote work at least part of the time post-pandemic, while 47% said they intended to allow employees to work remotely on a full-time basis. The “new normal” is here. Read More
Quick and Easy Steps to Building Your Cover Letter
Do you ever find yourself avoiding the process of writing a cover letter? Are you procrastinating or wondering how to begin? Walden Career Services makes cover letter writing quick and easy by providing templates, tips, and videos to create tailored, impactful letters in less time. Read More
Are you in an active job search?
If you are actively looking for new opportunities or seeking ways to get experience in your field, do not miss the Job and Internship Search page of our website. There you will find resources that can help you locate your next opportunity:
Do you have an article, a news item, or an announcement that you would like to submit? Or are you or another Walden student doing something that you would like us to share with the university community? Questions or comments? E-mail: charity.adams@mail.waldenu.edu.
