2014 Pursuit of Inclusion Award Recipient: Andrew Kahrs
It was an honor to present this year’s Pursuit of Inclusion Award to Andrew Kahrs,
from Housing and Residential Education. Andrew currently serves on the HRE’s Social
Justice and Sustainability Committees. His work on the sustainability has led him
to be selected as the HRE representative on the Student Affairs Sustainability Committee,
which he is now serving as the co‐chair.
Andrew has volunteered his time and abilities to help out at the Pride Center in Salt Lake City on the weekends and in helping plan local events in the community. Among many others, he’s attended all of the Student Affairs Diversity series lectures; Safe Zone Training; and MLK, Pride Week, Woman’s Week presentations.
Andrew is well known for being committed and passionate in helping to create a world where equity is the norm, and not the exception. He is an ally and advocate unafraid to speak up on behalf of a person or group that is being put down, but never comes across as threatening or confrontational. He always works to make it a learning experience.
Andrew creates an environment and workplace that seeks to better the lives of students and colleagues and he sees social justice as a tool to improve our lives and the lives of future generations.
These activities not only show commitment to continuing his own education but also shows support of those who take time and effort to plan these programs. He often brings others to these events and then expands the learning experience by continuing an open dialog with others after the events are over. A colleague writes,” We don’t get sidetracked from work too much but, when we do, it is often to discuss an article he has read about LGBTQ issues, racism in the school system, or the immigration debate. From these discussions, I’m able to continue to re‐evaluate my thoughts and actions.”
On behalf of the Student Affairs Diversity Committee, we congratulate Andrew and thank him for his pursuit of inclusion on campus and in the community.