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Governor Swift to Receive Harvard Honor
Cambridge, Mass. - April 10, 2003 - Jane Swift, former governor of Massachusetts, has been named the recipient of the 2003 Harvard College Women's Professional Achievement Award. Also, Shelby Braxton-Brooks, a Harvard senior, is the student winner of the 2003 Harvard College Women's Leadership Award. Both, being honored for exceptional leadership skills, will receive their awards at a ceremony and dinner on April 14, 2003 at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass.
Swift was selected for having achieved great distinction as a politician and for having been the first woman governor in the United States. "Jane Swift clearly demonstrated her leadership qualities during very difficult time in state government. She managed to tackle the tough issues and the demands of the job and, at the same time, be a loving and carrying mother and wife. She is a strong role model for our students, and I am pleased that Harvard College will celebrate her exceptional leadership and many notable achievements," said Karen E. Avery, assistant dean of Harvard College and director of the Ann Radcliffe Trust in Harvard College.
Braxton-Brooks, a special concentrator in Performance Studies, is a distinguished artist, whose dedicated and enthusiastic leadership through choreography and art direction has helped to stimulate the Harvard community. "Shelby is a fantastically talented young woman. Artistically, intellectually, and socially, she exudes poise at every turn." assistant senior tutor, Aaron Allen wrote in his recommendation letter.
In addition to recognition of Swift and Braxton-Brooks, the Radcliffe Trust will honor seniors Michelle Kuo and Rachelle Gould, both honorable mentions for the Women's Leadership Award, in recognition of their many noteworthy achievements.
Now in its sixth year, the Harvard College Women's Leadership Awards are funded through an endowment established with a gift from Harvard alumnae Terrie Fried Bloom. The Harvard College Women's Leadership Awards are part of the Ann Radcliffe Trust in Harvard College, a unique resource for women undergraduates, which seeks to raise the awareness of women and women's issues at Harvard and beyond.
The student prize goes to a junior or senior who has demonstrated exceptional leadership while attending Harvard, contributed toward the advancement of women, achieved meaningful impact on fellow students, and exhibited a potential for leadership in future endeavors.
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