Lee’s Allen, Wood And Tagayuna Receive CWC Award

  • Thursday, May 5, 2016

Lee University presented the 2016 Charles W. Conn Awards to Michael Allen, Shawna Wood and Dr. Arlie Tagayuna during a Lee chapel service. 

Rising seniors Mr. Allen and Ms. Wood were awarded the CWC Servant Leadership Award for demonstrating leadership in service and ministry in the Lee community. Dr. Tagayuna was the recipient of the CWC Service Learning Faculty Award presented to a faculty member recognized for commitment to service-learning on campus and in personal service to the community. 

The annual awards are in honor of Dr. Charles W. Conn, president of Lee from 1970-1982. Dr. Conn was known for his spirit of servant leadership during his presidency at Lee and is the only President Emeritus in Lee’s history. 

Mr. Allen has served in a variety of roles on Lee’s campus, including resident chaplain for Medlin Hall, LEAP (Learn, Engage, and Achieve Project) peer mentor, regular volunteer in Crossover Ministries, teaching assistant for the Thai Language and Culture class, club president for Missions Alive, peer advisor, and a member of Convergence, Mu Kappa and Voices of Lee. 

“He is the most brilliant and humble young man I have ever met,” said Dr. Jo Ann Higginbotham, professor of education. “He has a healing effect on people who have broken spirits and emotional hurts. He seeks to be Christ’s hands and feet in this world.” 

Ms. Wood has operated in a number of key roles for Lee, including student worker for the nursing program, Gateway peer leader, resident assistant for Lee’s Summer Honors program and community service secretary for the Student Leadership Council. According to Jill Welborn, director of student development, Ms. Wood serves consistently and helps to create opportunities for others to serve. She is dedicated to serving the disenfranchised in the local community as a lifestyle. 

“Humility, compassion, and excellence are evident in her work,” said Ms. Welborn. 

Dr. Tagayuna is an assistant professor of sociology at Lee. He has developed outreach to the College Hill community in Cleveland, helps his students write grants for local nonprofit organizations, and works with his students to conduct community-based action research for these organizations. Recently, he and his students raised over $11,000 to help provide sustainable lighting in an East Cleveland Park by hosting a 5K evening glow fun run called “Light Up the City Project.” 

“He stays up late every single night, sacrificing sleep in order to finish his work because he dedicates valuable time out of his day to serve others,” said a student. “He does not stay up late because he is a procrastinator. He stays up late because he fills his free time with serving others. This is very convicting to me, in the best way, because it makes me examine my own life and question whether or not I’m truly living like Christ.” 

Mr. Allen and Ms. Wood are the twelfth group of students to receive this award, while Dr. Tagayuna is the eighth faculty member to be honored. 

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