Track and field standout Jovaney Toledo was one of five Westfield State College students among the honorees at the Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement (HOBA) annual awards ceremony recently held at Bridgewater State College.
The five received Massachusetts State College Student Achiever Awards in recognition of their academic achievements, leadership on campus, and service to the community.
The students, all seniors, are Dionisia O. Lopez, Breyana A. Roman, and Monique L. Tait, all of Springfield; Jovaney R. Toledo of Wilbraham and Grace M. Rivera of Worcester.
“It gives me particular pleasure to know these students have received an award that honors significant accomplishments of people of color,” said Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College. “They continue Westfield’s legacy of that began 170 years ago when Horace Mann founded this college as the first public institution without barrier to race, gender or economic class.”
Toledo, a business management major, has served as an Urban Education Program (UEP) peer counselor, a Student Support Services Program (SSSP) peer tutor, and a teacher’s assistant for a variety of UEP summer courses. He has been a RISE First-Year Experience Program mentor for first-year students and has served the Springfield community by volunteering in the “Kids’ Day in Springfield” program and as a member of the New North Citizens’ Council Aids Teen Team. Toledo has participated on both indoor and outdoor track teams at Westfield State, earning all-conference honors in the throwing events.
The Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement was founded in 1987 at Bridgewater State College to discover and disclose the significant achievements and contributions of people of color. Each winter, a Heritage Celebration is held to posthumously induct a historic figure into the HOBA. In addition, HOBA honors future leaders from the nine Massachusetts state colleges with its Student Achievement Award during its annual Heritage Celebration. The program is now in its 21st year.
Lopez, a psychology major, was awarded the 2007 Massachusetts Women in Public Higher Education Scholarship and has been inducted into the Lambda Sigma Honor Society. She served as a Westfield State College UEP Summer Bridge program peer counselor, assistant treasurer for the Third World Organization, and active member of the Latino Association for Empowerment. She has also served as a UEP tour guide for prospective students and their parents.
Rivera, a criminal justice major, is a McNair Scholar with leadership roles that have included UEP peer counselor and mentor, SSSP teaching assistant, peer advisor for the Academic Advising Center, and resident assistant for Residential Life.
A former member of the Third World Organization and the Latino Association for Empowerment, Rivera has served as a peer educator for the Alcohol Choices Education program, participated in the So Seductive Step Team, and earned dean’s list recognition for six semesters. She is participating in the Washington Center Internship Program and was awarded the first Westfield State College UEP/Joan E. Fuller scholarship.
Roman, a communication major, is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and has received Dean’s List recognition every semester. Her leadership roles have included member of the UEP Gospel Choir, UEP peer counselor, UEP recruitment mentor/leader, SSSP peer tutor and student supervisor, president of the Latino Association for Empowerment, and member of the So Seductive Step Team. Roman was awarded the first UEP/Joan E. Fuller Scholarship and the President’s Award for Excellence in Leadership.
Tait, a computer science major, has served as a technician for Westfield State’s information technology department and participated in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Scholar Summer Program of Undergraduate Research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As part of her internship, Tait worked in the Privacy, Internetworking, Security, and Mobile Systems (PRISM) lab as a researcher for the DieselNet project.
As secretary for the Third World Organization, she assisted in coordinating the Unity Fest, the Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield Unity Fair, and the West Indian Festival. She is also a member of the Urban Education Gospel Choir.