The fifth annual Ruby Awards is approaching on March 28, 2012. | Lauren Kermelis/THE CHIMES (file photo)
Biola is set to celebrate National Women’s History Month starting with the fifth annual Ruby Awards on March 28.
Biola’s Ruby committee has worked on determining a theme for this year’s Women’s History Month since August 2011. The theme for the 2012 Women’s History Month, “Courage & Calling,” perfectly captured the message of the committee’s vision, according to Victoria Smith, associate director of university events.
“God has called us all to a wide variety of professions and areas of expertise,” Smith said. “We want to make sure that we are providing our students, especially our female students, with some guidance in that area.”
The committee realized Biola women wanted to be able to recognize what their specific calling is from God and Biola women want to understand how to obtain their calling, according to Smith.
Selecting the recipients for the awards
The National Women’s History Month committee for Biola narrowed down the submissions for the award nominees to three recipients. This year they received more than 100 nominations, according to Smith. The selected nominees were then finalized by president Barry Corey and the president’s administrative council.
Jane Anderson, Biola alumna and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco, is the 2012 recipient of the Deborah Ruby Award for leadership and wisdom. Karen Dirks, leader of the Talbot Wives Fellowship, is the 2012 recipient of the Esther Award for obedience and servanthood. And Katie Tuttle, Biola director of commuter life, is the 2012 recipient of the Priscilla Ruby Award for teaching and mentoring.
“Courage is to walk into what God has made me to be and to just go for it. … God gave me a set of gifts and it wasn’t an accident and he just expects me to go for it with all my heart,” Tuttle said.
Biola’s Ruby Awards committee consists of Irene Neller, Victoria Smith, Brenda Velasco, Susan Kaneshiro, and Cassandra Van Zandt.
The committee also has Natasha Duquette, Meleca Consultado, Kelsey Seitz, Amanda Tegtmeier, Deannah Baesel, Ann McKusick and Elizabeth Neely, who helps with the Ruby Awards.
Celebration of Ruby Awards
The Ruby Awards will open with Van Zandt, dean of humanities and social sciences, speaking about her experience in recognizing what “Courage & Calling” means in the 9:30 a.m. chapel. The fifth annual Ruby Awards will also be presented to the recipients during the chapel.
Following the morning chapel, there will be a Ruby Award Luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m. Students and faculty can register for the luncheon on Biola’s Events website.
The Ruby Awards Committee has invited Shannon Leith to display her photography in the art exhibit called “Shine” to celebrate the Year of the Arts.
Biola events helps students to get involved
Biola is also having a Pinterest contest in celebration of Women’s History Month. All students will be able to send a photo and an explanation for why the woman they chose represents courage or calling. The winner will be selected by the most repins but they must first submit the photo to [email protected].
Additionally, the Ruby Awards committee started a service project to help women at the Dream Center in Los Angeles receive business attire for their potential careers, according to Smith. The committee has been collecting professional attire from faculty since the end of February. The committee would like students to donate their professional attire to the university events office in upper metzger by March 16.
“We felt like it was a really great tie-in to our theme because these women are just trying to really get back up on their feet. … The way that we phrased it is that we are giving them the courage to pursue their calling,” Smith said.
Origin of Women’s History Month at Biola
Prior to the first luncheon in Biola’s centennial year of 2008, Biola Events was looking for a way to highlight Biola women, according to Velasco. The timing was perfect when they came across the book “Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home” written by Jonalyn Fincher, a Talbot alumna.
The message from the book shaped their vision for the first women’s luncheon in 2008. The centerpieces for the first luncheon had a variety of shoes covered in red glitter.
“It was the idea that women are all unique and the shoe symbolizes that we all have different gifts,” Velasco said. “We all share a common calling in our lives to be women, mothers and daughters.”
