Alisha Debleye ’25, Dr. Michelle Lelwica, and Moorhead’s Adult Basic Education Program, directed by Tammy Schatz, have all been nominated and presented with the SEED Coalition’s Presidents’ Awards. The Presidents’ Awards recognize outstanding contributions to community engagement by students, faculty, staff, collaborative teams, and community organizations. 

Dr. Lisa Twomey, director of Community Engagement and Integrative Learning, was responsible for all the Presidents’ Awards nominations. 

Debleye started as a mentor to Moorhead High School students when she joined Mentoring Opportunities for People of Color (MOPOC) and a year later became the lead coordinator for the program. 

She was awarded the Presidents’ Student Leadership Award for her deep commitment to civic leadership and her collaborative work addressing public issues while building community.

“Through this work, Alisha lives out the college mission to ‘influence the affairs of the world,’ as the program fosters belonging, builds relationships, and expands access to opportunities in higher education and the workforce to students of color,” Twomey said. 

Debleye has been mentoring some of the students since their sophomore year of high school, and in just a few months she will watch them walk across the graduation stage. 

Over the years, she has created relationships with every member of MOPOC and an environment of inclusion. 

“Being in high school is such a pivotal point in your life, and I think having a support system is so important,” she said. “That’s what we are to these students. We’re there whenever they need us.”

One of the main goals of MOPOC is to build community relationships outside of Concordia’s campus, especially with underrepresented students. Debleye and other mentors focus on teaching life skills that the high schoolers can use after graduation, such as effective communication and personal finance. However, they also guide students with questions related to college and even help them apply to colleges. 

“I have multiple younger siblings, so I treat the students I mentor at Moorhead High School just like my younger siblings,” Debleye said. “I try to give them advice I’d want my younger siblings to hear.”

When she found out she had won a Presidents’ Award, Debleye said she was surprised but also excited because of the great work MOPOC has done. MHSl has created a similar program where they visit middle school students as mentors because of the influence MOPOC has had. 

Religion professor Dr. Lelwica was awarded the Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award for her Religion, Race, and Social Justice course and partnership with West Central Regional Juvenile Center. She connects Concordia students with youth impacted by the justice system. The idea for this class originated after Lelwica read “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander. 

“I wanted a way for students to not just think theoretically about racism and its catastrophic effects for people of color but to really feel and witness the harm that racism causes,” Lelwica said. “We can’t always learn from a place of comfort; sometimes comfort gets in the way of the deepest kind of learning we really need. The learning that changes not just our minds but our hearts.”

She also wrote a book, “Hurting Kids: What Incarcerated Youth Are Teaching Me About Whiteness, Compassion, Accountability, and Healing,” about her experiences with incarcerated youth.

Lelwica emphasized that her goal for the class is to have students learn about the incarcerated youths’ lives and to learn about themselves along the way. She specified that the goal is not to help the youth, serve them, or do charity as that defeats the purpose of students gaining an understanding of their responsibility to people who are marginalized in society.

“Most of us go through our lives never having to truly face the harm that our systemic injustices — racism, wealth inequality, and sexism — cause for other human beings,” Lelwica said. “I hope the question students leave this class with is, ‘How will I use my privilege to benefit people who don’t have the same privileges I have?’”

She added that community outreach like this is important because learning can become easily disconnected from real-world problems. Exposing students to these youth whose potential has not been nurtured matters to Lelwica because Concordia students will become future leaders of the world. 

“Dr. Lelwica’s dedication to education as a force for social change empowers students and youth alike,” Twomey said. 

Lelwica said she was humbled and grateful for the Presidents’ Award. 

“I feel very supported in this community partnership by Concordia, especially Dr. Lisa Twomey,” she said. 

Moorhead’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program was awarded the Presidents’ Community Partner Award for its community outreach and partnership with Concordia. 

“This program is a vital community resource that empowers learners through education,” Twomey said. 

ABE serves individuals aged 17 and over who are not enrolled in a K-12 program and who test below a 12th-grade level in the academic areas of reading, math, and writing or speaking English. There is no threshold for a maximum age; ABE has had graduates in their 80s utilize the program.

“We support each individual in working toward both their short- and long-term goals,” said Schatz, the ABE program director. “Ultimately, we strive to maximize the potential of each learner by transitioning them into employment, postsecondary education, civic engagement, and self-sufficiency.” 

Schatz first started working with Moorhead’s ABE in the 1990s as a part-time paraprofessional. She said she knew instantly that this was her calling and, now, as director, she emphasized how important community outreach is. 

“We rely on partnerships to share their expertise, engagement, volunteerism, and additional support to learners on their educational journey. The instructors focus on the core content; however, the community outreach offers an additional (vital) layer of belonging to our learners,” Schatz said. “I don't believe that success is found working in silos.”

For years, students in Twomey’s Inquiry Seminar (now called First-Year Seminar) course, In Search of Home: Immigrants and Refugees in our Community and Across the Globe, partnered with English Language Learners at ABE to connect while creating poetry together. 

Schatz also conveyed how humbled and honored the Moorhead ABE team is to receive the Presidents’ Community Partner Award. 

“We look forward to growing our partnership with Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ,” she said. “Dr. Lisa Twomey’s dedication to immersing college students into the greater community is truly immeasurable.”

 

Written by Alyssa Czernek '25