Lavender Graduation 2017 Award Nominations

Thursday, April 27, 2017
Great Room, Healey Family Student Center
Ceremony: 5:15pm – 7:00pm 
Reception: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

As part of Lavender Graduation, we take a moment to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of the graduating students during their time on campus. We welcome any enrolled student, faculty or staff member to nominate a graduating student, faculty or staff member for the awards listed below.

Please take a moment to give sincere consideration to those you nominate, that they are deserving of special recognition for their efforts to support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Ally communities at Georgetown University.

Please note: This award nominations process is for the undergraduate class of 2017 and faculty and staff on the Main Campus. All of the Graduate Schools have their own awards processes.

Nominations for Lavender Graduation 2017 are due by March 20th.

Award Nomination Requirements:

  1. You must be a currently enrolled student or staff/faculty member on Main Campus.
  2. Your nominations must include one or two paragraphs describing why you are nominating each person. Name only submissions will be disregarded.
  3. You may nominate more than one person per category.
  4. You do not have to nominate somebody for every category.
  5. All nominations must be submitted by March 20, 2017.
  6. If you have any questions please contact us at lgbtq@georgetown.edu

Award Categories

Commitment to the LGBTQ Campus Community

Recognizes excellence in leadership and/or service to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning communities at Georgetown University.

  • Open to any graduating senior
  • Proven and documented leadership and service on campus to the LGBTQ community
  • Inspires and motivates others in their actions to create a better campus community
  • Contributes to furthering the visibility and impact of the LGBTQ community on the collective Georgetown University community through words and actions
  • Strives to foster and encourage solidarity and coalition building within the LGBTQ community

Past Award Winners

2016: Eric Nevalsky
2015: Meghan Ferguson and Thomas Lloyd
2014: J Capecchi
2013: Lisa Kaye Frank
2012: Allie Villareal

LGBTQ Leadership Beyond the Gates

Recognizes excellence to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning communities beyond Georgetown University.

  • Open to any graduating senior
  • Proven and documented leadership, activism and/or service off campus to the LGBTQ community
  • Involvement with local, national and/or global organizations or causes rooted in education, service, and advocacy for LGBTQ initiatives
  • Strives to engage the campus community in dialogues and action around LGBTQ issues locally, nationally, and globally

Past Award Winners

2016: Alexis Dever
2015: Craig Cassey Jr.
2014: T. Chase Meacham
2013: N. Zenen Jaimes Peréz
2012: Tanisha Humphrey

LGBTQ Bride Builder

Recognizes excellence and commitment in building connections between  the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning community and broader student life at Georgetown University, as well as within the LGBTQ communities.

  • Open to any graduating senior
  • Proven and documented leadership and service on campus between other organizations, offices, and departments and the LGBTQ community
  • Demonstrates commitment in integrating multiple identities in a mindful, purposeful way that engages the campus community in new perspectives
  • Strives to foster and encourage solidarity and coalition building on campus (ex: solidarity with undocumented students, solidarity with trans students)

Past Award Winners

2016: Queen Adesuyi
2015: Esteban García
2014: Carly Rosenfield
2013: Francisco J. Gutierrez
2012: Adam Talbot

Outstanding Champion to the LGBTQ Community

Recognizes the courage to work for equity and equality for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning communities at Georgetown University.

  • Open to any graduating senior who is not a member of the LGBTQ communities
  • Proven and documented leadership in challenging homophobia and heterosexism
  • Commitment to raising awareness and promoting social justice causes on behalf of LGBTQ communities
  • Has actively worked to make campus safer for LGBTQ individuals
  • Spearheaded initiatives or programs in support of the LGBTQ community at Georgetown

Past Award Winners

2016: Candace Milner
2015: Adriana Zinn
2014: Kat Kelley
2013: Vail Kohnert-Yount
2012: Anne Musica

Staff & Faculty commitment to the LGBTQ community

Recognizes the leadership, vision and commitment of a staff and/or faculty member to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning communities at Georgetown University.

  • Open to any staff and/or faculty member working at Georgetown
  • Proven long term or reoccurring dedication to support and to advocate for LGBTQA individuals and initiatives on campus
  • Contributes to educating campus community around LGBTQA issues and to create seamless learning environments
  • Two awards will be given – one for faculty and one for staff

Past Award Winners

2016: Daviree Velazquez and Maya Roth
2015: Bridget Sherry-Laizer and Rabbi Rachel Gartner
2014: Madeline Vitek and Susan Lynskey
2013: Erika Cohen Derr and Fr. Patrick Rogers
2012: Officer Elizabeth Feindrich

Visit our archives to view previous Lavender Graduation Award winners and Senior Speakers.