Alumni Senior Award

Many students are happy to argue passionately about social issues—but far fewer are willing to take action on their beliefs. Latona T. Giwa ’09 has worked effectively to understand important social problems, to raise awareness of peace and justice issues, and to take concrete steps to solve them.

A talented and insightful scholar, Giwa has brought her considerable intellectual skills to bear on topics ranging from chemistry to dance and political protest. Her professors uniformly commend her for her persuasive writing, her focus, and her leadership skills.

At Grinnell, Giwa founded the Voicebox, a group that serves as an activist resource center on campus. She organized a student initiative that led to the creation of A Just Grinnell, a group that recently completed a four-day social-justice training program. She has also served effectively on apparel committee, which makes recommendations on the college’s apparel purchase policies.

Off campus, she has been equally dedicated. In 2007, she took part in a summer internship with the Street Works Collaborative, an organization that supports homeless youth in the Twin Cities. She was instrumental in creating and distributing a comprehensive guide of services available to this population. This guide is being used as a model for other organizations.

For her ability and willingness to connect the lessons inside the classroom with her actions beyond it, Grinnell is pleased to recognize Latona T. Giwa ’09.