The Women of Distinction Awards event will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26 in the Firstenburg Student Commons.
The March 26 2020, Women of Distinction Awards event has been canceled.
Submit a nomination using the form below. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Amanda Weingarten at amanda.weingarten@wsu.edu.
A working mother of three, sometimes I wonder how she gets it all done. She manages her family with energy, creativity, and humor; with a toddler, kindergartener, tween, husband, and needy sister, that is no easy task. Through all this, she still found time in 2012 to finish the last few classes needed to complete her bachelors degree.
She takes pride in role as cashier at WSU Vancouver. Whether it is educating students about their tuition payments, helping a student understand their financial aid, or answering questions about admissions, Kafiat's positive aura and problem-solving attitude inspires others to do their best work and serve students with compassion.
Kafiat is committed to the community. She is a volunteer teacher at her church and plays a mentorship to young children on Sundays. No matter how tired she is, or how fussy her two year old becomes, Kafiat is committed to her Sunday obligations with youth. Kafiat has transferred these skills in mentorship to her work at WSU Vancouver. For the past four years, she has led the Martin Luther King Jr. Day children's activities. She provides curriculum and organization to the volunteer teachers who lead various activities that focus on Dr. King's teachings.
Kafiat has provided leadership in many ways on the WSU Vancouver campus. She has served on the Student Affairs Staff Retreat Committee, has provided support to the Student Leadership Recognition Program for the past few years, and very importantly, she is the lead for the Cougar Food Pantry. Her work with the Cougar Food Pantry includes communicating with the campus community about food needs and donation drives, managing inventory and filling orders, and convening and leading the food pantry advisory committee. While it is unfortunate that the WSU Vancouver campus needs a food pantry for students, it has been great to see the campus community come together to meet student needs. Kafiat's ability to mobilize and empower others to support the Cougar Food Pantry has been critical to the WSUV community!
