Eastern Student Taylor Hemphill of Norwalk Wins MLK Award

From Eastern CT State University: Eastern Connecticut State University student Taylor Hemphill '17 of Norwalk received a 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award at Eastern this past February.

Hemphill majors in social work and is an ambassador with Eastern's Women's Center. She also volunteered in the Petey Greene's Prisoner Assistance Program, where she concentrated her efforts on facilitating change in the lives of incarcerated women, strengthening the communication skills of inmates to enhance their chances of employment upon release.

"One of my favorite quotes by Dr. King is 'Life's persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?'" said Starsheemar Byrum, director of Eastern's Unity Wing, which houses the Women's Center. "Taylor's thoughtful efforts come with the purest intention to inspire those within her reach. Taylor's reach spans far; she is always on the move, calm and mighty, ready to motivate a people. She heeds to the call for leaders and role models to take a stand in a world full of people with real needs. Her precision is witnessed in all that she does. Taylor's co-workers admire her work ethic and care. Taylor is confident in her ability to lead people, impact communities and ignite change. She's done this here at Eastern and beyond. Her life commitment to social justice is evident through her consistent determination and focused passion to inspire people, impact communities and ignite change."

Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 5,300 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations.

In addition to attracting students from 158 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 24 other states and 23 other countries. A residential campus offering 39 majors and 58 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked the 26th top public university in the North Region, by U.S. News and World Report in its 2016 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded "Green Campus" status by the U.S. Green Building Council seven years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

Photo courtesy of Eastern CT State University (MLK award winners Taylor Hemphill '17 (right), Elijah Oliver and Kemesha Wilmot (left))