Washtenaw Community College awarded three “Equity in Action” awards during a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance ceremony held at the college on Thursday, January 16.
Making the presentations during the college’s 19th annual MLK Day Celebration perfectly ties in one of the criteria for nomination, which is “exemplifying the values and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., specifically in the areas of advocacy, leadership and service.”
RELATED: Ceremony Replay | Photo Gallery
The 2025 recipients include WCC Entrepreneurship Center Manager Emanuel Terrell, faculty members from the college’s Writing Center, and Girls Group, an Ann Arbor-based non-profit organization that strives to help economically disadvantaged young women achieve self-sufficiency.
EMANUEL TERRELL
Position: WCC Entrepreneurship Center Manager
Summary of Nomination: Understanding the impact that entrepreneurship can have on society, Terrell consistently seeks opportunities to engage individuals of financially constrained backgrounds in services that can lead to upward social mobility. Terrell serves to empower entrepreneurs creating economic opportunities and he has inspired individuals to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality through the usage of the Entrepreneurship Center's resources. His advocacy and contributions go above and beyond, with his 2024 TEDxWCC speech, "Building Bridges, Building Empires: The Young Black Entrepreneur's Playbook," as an example.
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WCC WRITING CENTER
Representatives: Tom Zimmerman, English/Composition faculty and Writing Center Director; Ernesto Querijero, English/Writing faculty
Summary of Nomination: In addition to the valuable services it provides all WCC students, the Writing Center was nominated for an Equity in Action Award based on the consistent work by WCC English faculty members Tom Zimmerman and Ernesto Querijero to promote equity and inclusion at the center. For several years, Zimmerman and Querijero have committed their time and efforts to tutoring K-12 students whose educational experiences have been impacted by systemic, racial and economic issues. On numerous instances, they engaged the Writing Center in scholarship essay workshops at local high schools to help ease the financial burden for students who may be in the most economic need. Their work has helped advance access for marginalized students by equipping them with the writing skills needed to excel in college and beyond. Additionally, Zimmerman and Querijero have gone above and beyond to promote diversity and inclusion on campus by facilitating writing workshops, poetry events, and film screening discussions as part of cultural heritage month programming that supports students’ sense of belonging.
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GIRLS GROUP
Representative: Chantelle Franklin, Senior Program Coordinator
Summary of Nomination: Girls Group is an amazing organization that empowers young women to achieve emotional and economic self-sufficiency by ensuring they graduate from high school and begin their college or career journeys. They utilize a wraparound approach to create a vibrant community of support for their participants, and foster effective relationships between participants and mentors, peers, parents, schools, and communities. The longstanding partnership between Girls Group and WCC is just one of the many program partnerships they have established with youth-serving organizations, school districts, and higher education institutions. Girls Group’s social justice mindset and belief in the dignity and worth of every human being is borne out through their work – the support and nurture that they provide to economically disadvantaged young women changes their lives, affects future generations, and ultimately advances equity within our communities.
Tags: Awards, Diversity, Equity in Action, MLK Day