Angels' Memory Shines On in One Standout Sophomore

Author: Mallika Rao

The Angels Award -- given annually to a sophomore woman of color who in her first year at Middlebury excelled socially and academically while exemplifying strong leadership qualities -- was awarded this year to Dena Simmons '05. The award is given in remembrance of the Class of 2003's four "angels," Anisa Gamble, Tiffany Holmes, Maika Prewitt and Iniko Johnson, who tragically lost their lives in a car accident during their first year.
The award ceremony took place this past Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Ch‚teau Grand Salon. It was a brief but moving gesture to the memory of the four angels. Friends, professors and staff members shared anecdotes detailing the girls' boundless energy and warmth. Hearing people remember actual words said by the girls was a testament to their extraordinary nature. "You walk by us and don't say hi, we'll kick your butt," Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity and Associate Professor of German Roman Graf recalled the girls saying.
Catharine Wright, visiting lecturer in writing and Posse mentor, and Barbara Ganley, lecturer and tutor-in-writing, spoke of having Prewitt and Johnson in class. Both described situations in which the girls, in a seamless role reversal, managed to teach their own professors. Mary Ellen Bertolini, director of academic support and lecturer, attributes the existence of her present course, "Writing to Heal," to her own need for closure after the accident. "In a very real sense, my students are being affected by their lives right now," she confided.
This year's ceremony holds special significance, as it would have been the angels' graduating year. Naima Gregory '03, a classmate and friend of the four girls, spearheaded the organization of the events, with the help of Associate Dean of Student Affairs Marichal Gentry and Assistant in Academic Administration Jessa Karki. Gregory's persistence in securing the presence of the angels' family members was just one of the many factors ensuring the palpable intimacy of the tribute. "I've been very struck by what this must mean for friends of the girls and this class," confessed Wright.
The weekend began with a student-led Performing Arts Tribute Friday night at the Center for the Arts.
It lasted two hours and featured student performances dedicated to the four angels.
Most of the performers had not known the angels, but relied on the strength and affection behind other peoples' memories of the girls to deliver a compelling performance.
The heart of the weekend, Saturday's award ceremony, was followed with a celebratory brunch Sunday morning in the Redfield Proctor lounge.
The four nominees from the Class of 2005 were Ryan Dunn-Komeh, Christina Tolbert, Tina Velez and Dena Simmons.
An impressive list of activities, achievements and overall qualities was reeled off for each nominee, underscoring how difficult the task of choosing an individual winner must have been. Janine Knight '03, one of the award organizers and president of Middlebury's popular dance troupe, Riddim, graciously introduced Simmons, this year's recipient, as the "epitome of time management."
Nominees were elicited from a campus-wide e-mail issued the prior weekend. The committee, each year consisting of a Riddim member (Knight), a member of the African American Alliance (AAA) (Kiki Taylor '03), a Commons Resident Advisor (Lisa Stifler '02) and a member of the Dean of Student Affairs Office (Gentry), considers academic and extracurricular achievement.
Because of the element of remembrance particular to this award, the girl chosen must also carry on the memory of the angels by embodying their spirit. "We must not only remember them, but walk in their footsteps," Gregory asserted.
Simmons boasts a string of achievements as varied as it is long.
She co-founded the group Mix, along with fellow nominees Tolbert and Velez.
Mix dedicates itself to spreading diversity awareness throughout Vermont elementary schools.
Simmons also coaches a youth soccer team. She is a peer writing tutor, a resident advisor and a member of the Middlebury College Activities Board, Alianza Latinoamericana y Caribena and the Foundation for Excellent Schools.
She is an active participant in the International Students Organization, AAA and Pan-Caribbean Students Organization events. This award comes on the heels of her Outstanding First-Year Award, which she received last year.
She, along with all the other nominees, is able to maintain a high grade point average despite numerous extra-curricular commitments.
The ceremony concluded with a surprise presentation given to Gregory by Senior Advisor for Institutional Diversity Leroy Nesbitt.
He thanked her for her persistence and passion in planning the weekend. He then presented a plaque donated by the Office of Institutional Diversity for the names of past and future Angel Award winners.
The names of the two past recipients, Lollie Perez '03 and Crystal Belle '04, join Simmons in being the first on the plaque. The plaque will be hung in PALANA House, the multicultural house on campus.
This year marks an important transitional phase in the existence of the award.
While this award has previously been more of a memorial event, with the graduation of the Class of 2003, it evolves into an established honor for each new recipient.
There is a desire for the memory of the angels to translate into a focus on the future women of color on campus.
Those who attended any or all of the events expressed the absolute need for this sort of award at Middlebury.
Citing the racially divisive events that have occurred on campus, many of those concerned with the award felt it could act as a much-needed encouragement to people of color on campus.