Dean Earns Marymount University’s Arrupe Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Moreno Valley College’s Brandi Avila, dean of Student Development and Wellness, Division of Student Services, has been awarded the Arrupe Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from the Loyola Marymount University’s Intercultural Council. The presentation was made at the Student Academic, Service and Leadership Awards Convocation.
The Convocation recognizes candidates for graduation who have flourished within the threefold purpose of the University as expressed in the preamble to the University’s mission statement: the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole person, and the service of faith and promotion of justice. Student honorees have risen to the challenge of Jesuit and Marymount traditions and have, by their example, enriched our educational community.
Avila has over ten years of community college experience. She has served on the executive board of the North Orange County Community College District Black Faculty and Staff Association since 2019 and has had the opportunity to collaborate with educational advocates to improve conditions for minoritized students, faculty and staff so they can thrive.
The Arrupe Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion evaluates candidates based on significance of academic contributions in diversity, equity and inclusion focused areas. The namesake for this award honors Jesuit Superior General Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who worked tirelessly for promotion of justice in the service of faith. This award is granted to one distinguished doctoral student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, scholarship, service and leadership related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected for this prestigious award, and I am excited about the opportunity it presents to further contribute to the field of diversity, equity and inclusion here at MVC,” Avila said. “I am grateful for the support and encouragement I have received throughout my doctoral journey while here at Moreno Valley College. “Dr. Robin Steinback, president of Moreno Valley College, has played a huge role in the support and encouragement I received to complete my dissertation and contribute to the research in this way.”
Avila is a first-generation college graduate, earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Pan African Studies. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Sociology from California State University, Northridge, and a second from San Diego State University in Education Counseling and Advanced Certification in Mental Health Recovery and Trauma-Informed Care. Recently she completed her doctoral studies at Loyola Marymount University in the Educational Leadership for Social Justice Program.