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In a ceremony last month, Mary Lynn Riggs, Executive Director of Go Global VT and Thomas Thiango of Vianeey Centre, Kenya received the Outstanding Community Partner in Service-Learning Award.
All award winners demonstrated the importance of community and cross-college collaborations. The award to Go Global VT originated through retired Associate Dean Kenneth Hood's conceived idea for a partnership in Kenya, which he brought to UVM's CDAE chair Jane Kolodinsky.
Mary Lynn Riggs of Go Global VT and Isaiah Thomas Thiango have been indispensable in defining the local context and building the relationships necessary to prepare students to study these critical issues, both in Burlington and on the ground in Kenya.
The award committee was particularly impressed by their commitment to a reciprocal partnership, scaffolding the experience for UVM students in a way that allows them to hit the ground running as soon as they arrive.