Wake Forest junior Gracie Harrington and campus life leaders Marianne Magjuka, Shelley Sizemore and Matt Williams, have been recognized as Wake Forest University’s 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. “Building the Dream” award winners.
The award is traditionally presented to a student and a professor or administrator from both Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) who exemplify King’s qualities and promote diversity within the community. This year, one student and three campus leaders were recognized at Wake Forest.
Harrington, who is from Philadelphia, is a student advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ community — speaking out in support of inclusiveness and understanding both on and off campus. On campus, she serves as a resident adviser in Collins Hall, helping first-year students make the transition to college life. In addition to majoring in politics and international affairs, Harrington is involved in Wake Forest’s chapter of Gay Straight Student Alliance. She is coordinator of the student network for Campus Pride, a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and president of the Wake Forest chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary. She has also worked with Equality Maryland to bring marriage equality to that state.
Magjuka, Sizemore and Williams were recognized for planning and leading a weeklong Alternative Spring Break civil rights tour through Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Thirty-three students in eight days visited the National Civil Rights Museum, the National Voting Rights Museum, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Archives, The Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among other places.
About the award and the MLK Day Celebration
Faculty, staff and students at Wake Forest submit “Building the Dream” award nominations for their respective universities and a committee of representatives from each school selects winners. The recipients were recognized at an annual banquet celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. held at Wake Forest on Jan. 20.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University combines the best traditions of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university. Founded in 1834, the school is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The University’s graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity school, and nationally ranked schools of law, medicine and business enrich our intellectual environment. Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu.
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