The Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice has awarded Augsburg student Atlese Robinson ’15 the 2014 Hawkinson Foundation Scholarship. This scholarship was created by the Foundation to encourage students who have already demonstrated a commitment to peace and justice to strive for those values in their educational pursuits and in their personal and professional lives.
Robinson is majoring in theater at Augsburg. Her artistic background includes the Penumbra Theatre’s Summer Institute and the St. Paul Central High School’s Central Touring Theatre. When she was attending Central, Robinson wrote a poem highlighting racial inequalities within the school system. She then went on to perform the poem, with others, for groups of teachers and administration in the St. Paul Public Schools.
Robinson has served as editor of The Echo newspaper, a student publication at Augsburg College. She also has performed her original spoken word as part of the College’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation celebration.
At the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center Koryne Horbal lecture, two women were recognized for their courage and tenacity with the first annual Courageous Woman Awards. These awards acknowledge and recognize women who see injustice or need, act on it, take risks in order to “do the right thing,” and raise their voices to champion women. Founded in 2011 by Friends of the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center at Augsburg College, the awards program recognizes women who courageously strive for social justice and peace on campus or in the wider community and whose efforts, be they small or large, make a difference to women. The 2011 awards are given in memory of Jessica Nathanson whose life exemplified what it means to be a courageous woman. 
Claire Bergren ’12, a political science major with a concentration in public policy and global change, minor in peace and global studies, has received a Newman Civic Fellow Award. She is one of 135 students from 30 states who were recently named by Campus Compact to receive this award.
During the January “winterim” break, several Augsburg students traveled with Religion professor Bev Stratton to Central America for REL 480: Vocation and the Christian Faith: El Salvador. First-year Katelyn Danelski reflects below on the group’s experiences. 
Three current Augsburg students and a recent graduate have received 2008 Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation scholarships in recognition of their involvement in peace and justice activities.