Iowa Campus Compact recognized Central College alumna Carrie Romo ’06 with a 2018 Mixing it Up Community Leadership award at the annual Engaged Campus Awards and Summit May 9, 2018, at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The highly recognized award honors students, faculty, staff, organizations and alumni for their work in community-campus partnerships, and community service and service-learning programs. ICC received nearly 50 nominations from 12 Iowa colleges and universities.
“Our member colleges and universities are committed to strong community partnerships,” says Executive Director Emily Shields. “These awardees represent the kinds of people, projects and collaborations we need to move Iowa forward.”
Cheri Doane, Central’s director for community-based learning, nominated Romo for mentoring first-year students and facilitating discussions about diversity at Central as well as for serving as a peer leader with the Office of Intercultural Student Life when she was a student. Romo also volunteered weekly at an elementary school where she taught Spanish to elementary students, broadening her students’ appreciation of Latino culture.
Romo continues to provide community leadership. She is now a middle-school Spanish teacher with Des Moines Public Schools. She holds a seat on the board of The Privilege Institute, a nonprofit providing challenging and collaborative strategies to empower people to work for justice. She is also program coordinator for Dream to Teach, an initiative to increase representation of educators of color in the Des Moines Public Schools.
In her nomination, Doane wrote, “Carrie’s distinctive ability to foster a safe space for people of all ages allows others to challenge their assumptions, which leads to greater understanding of themselves and others. In this way, she has helped Central College create a more welcoming environment for minority groups.”
