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Congratulations, Lauren: 2022 Martha Davis Award for Outstanding Service
Lauren has trained more than 375 new tutors and was the guiding force behind LVSC's new cultural sensitivity project.
On June 1, 2022 Lauren Randolph received the Martha Davis Award for Outstanding Service at LVSC's Annual Meeting & Recognition Night.
It is a true honor to be chosen for this award in Martha’s name. Martha was such an inspiration to me and I’m glad her spirit lives on in LVSC.
-Lauren
For 16 years, Martha Davis dedicated herself to LVSC: she was a tutor, conversation group leader, event committee member, board member, and ten-year board president. Martha passed away unexpectedly in 2018. Each year the award bearing her name is given to an individual who embodies Martha’s spirit of volunteerism and dedication to LVSC’s mission.
Lauren received the 2022 award in recognition of her service and support that goes far beyond her commitment as LVSC's Tutor Trainer and Humanities Scholar. Lauren is a longtime ESL professional who started training LVSC’s volunteer tutors in May 2016. Since that time, she trained more than 375 new tutors! Several years ago, she streamlined LVSC's training program to make it more manageable for potential volunteers. Then in the face of Covid-19, she revised it again for a virtual format. In addition, Lauren facilitates tutor support sessions for new tutors and you will always see her at LVSC's events.
In 2021, Lauren became LVSC's Humanities Scholar to support a new grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Says LVSC executive director Aimee Lam, "When I became aware of an opportunity to develop a cultural literacy program, I turned to Lauren for advice. Lauren shared my excitement for the project and what followed was a series of brainstorming sessions that led to a strong grant proposal and ultimately a generous grant. Thus began our brand new program, Cultural Connections."
The primary goal of Cultural Connections was to encourage cross-cultural communication and exploration among students and tutors. Lauren's first step was to develop a six-week curriculum to guide tutors in addressing cross-cultural misunderstandings. She created thought-provoking lesson plans and trained a small group of tutors to use the lesson plans with confidence. The result was a series of meaningful conversations between tutors and a diverse group of students. Students had the opportunity to practice English, express themselves, and share their cultures. We all learned something new.
The stories that they generously shared with us about their experiences coming to the U.S. and not only learning the language, but also navigating the culture were at times poignant and amusing, at times heartwarming and at times heartbreaking.
-Lauren
The next step was to share student reflections with a wider audience. With a talented videographer at her side, Lauren then guided the Cultural Connections Tutor Team in recording student interviews. Lauren spent hours reviewing interview clips and advising how they should be used in the final video. Once the video was complete, Lauren led another team to create a workshop presentation to share with LVSC tutors and tutors throughout New Jersey.
Lauren’s vision and contributions were critical to the development of an enriching curriculum and the Cultural Connections video. Lauren’s expertise, guidance, and vision led to a rich new program which will impact students, tutors, and community members in the months and years to come.