Celebration of Excellence: Worcester State honors its Distinguished Alumni

The university celebrated five outstanding Worcester State alumni with impressive professional and community service accomplishments during a joyful ceremony for the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards.

The October 2023 event in the Wellness Center brought together dignitaries and community leaders, including Worcester Mayor Joe Petty and City Councilor Khrystian King, Senator Robyn Kennedy, and members of the university Board of Trustees and Foundation Board of Directors.

“This evening we have an exceptional group of alumni,” said Marina Taylor, chair of the Trustees. “Truly they represent all that it means to be a lifelong Lancer. They are leaders in their communities and in their professions. And above all, they are committed to giving back to those communities and to their alma mater.”

As is customary for the Distinguished Alumni Awards, the award for each recipient was presented by someone who knows the alum well. Following the presentation of the award, each alum also delivers remarks.

Rev. Dr. Gizel Hampton (right) presented Celia Johnston Blue ’00 with the  Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Community.

Rev. Dr. Gizel Hampton presented Celia Johnston Blue ’00 with the  Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Community. In 2015, Johnston Blue collaborated with 12 women of color from across Massachusetts to launch the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition in Worcester. In her current role as president and CEO of MAWOCC, Celia is leading the organization to realize its vision and mission of advocating for the voices of women of color to be heard to address the inequities present in every aspect of their lives.

Hampton described how she first met Celia at a local family church when they were young. “Celia consistently strives to maintain an excellent spirit in all she accomplishes,” Hampton said. “With her experience from humble beginnings and recognizing the disparities in our community at an early age, Celia was determined to make a difference and become an agent of change. I have admired Celia’s tenacity and resolve to serve the disenfranchised in her community and our state.”

Beyond a long record of career and civic accomplishments, Celia’s greatest accomplishment, said Hampton, is her family. “Her husband Joe and daughter Violet are her number one cheerleaders and are often seen at various events actively participating and supporting every step of her journey.”

In her remarks, Johnston Blue described how she came to Worcester State as a non-traditional student and found faculty members were supportive and understanding. “After I graduated I wanted to stay connected with Worcester State and found a way to do just that.”

After forming the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, she began collaborating with Worcester State’s Binienda Center for Civic Engagement and worked with President Barry Maloney on recruitment and retention of students of color. She called on the audience to do their part to make the world more inclusive.

“You can do one small act that will make a big difference and that is to ensure people of color and of diverse backgrounds are always in the room and at the decision-making tables when decisions are being made about them and our communities.… We are stronger together.”

Worcester State Dean of Education Dr. Raynold Lewis presented Doherty Memorial High School Assistant Principal Renah Razzaq with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education. “As her academic advisor, she shared with me her desire for education and described her experience as a student with interrupted formal education in the West Bank, hiding from place to place in churches and mosques to relocate to a spot where learning/teaching could take place.”

Worcester State Dean of Education Dr. Raynold Lewis presented Doherty Memorial High School Assistant Principal Renah Razzaq with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Alumni Achievement in Education.

When the environment became even more dangerous, Renah returned to the US and finished her GED. She transferred to Worcester State from Quinsigamond Community College and went on to earn a master’s degree in secondary administration and leadership. She became head of the math department at Doherty High in 2011 and in 2017 received the Massachusetts State University Alumni Award, given to notable graduates of the state universities. In 2023, she completed her Ph.D.  in education from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

“Renah’s journey from hiding in churches and mosques to find a space to learn, with war planes overhead, to assistant principal to holder of a Ph.D. from prestigious WPI chronicles a unique academic odyssey,” Lewis said. “Her persistence and vision stand as an example of the power of desire, and its role in turning dreams into reality.”

Razzaq shared how she came to college as a mother with small children and found Worcester State was committed to accommodating diverse students. “Even during February and April vacations when my children were by my side, I found incredible support from my professors, each of whom granted my requests to have my kids attend classes with me,” she said. “Not a single professor turned me away, reflecting the inclusive and compassionate spirit of Worcester State.”

Communication professor Eric Nichols (right) presented photographer George Annan with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Young Alumnus.

Communication professor Eric Nichols presented photographer George Annan with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Young Alumnus. Nichols shared how Annan has quickly made a name for himself in Worcester and beyond since he graduated in 2021. He has done assignments for internationally recognized media like The Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America and ad campaigns for Converse, Puma, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and has been involved with passion projects like Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa, a group exhibition at the Fitchburg Art Museum.

“Before any of that, George was a member of the Worcester State community,” said Nichols. The two met when George found him in the photo lab in the basement of the Learning Resource Center. “Working in the lab you learn two things: you learn who the students in the photo class are, and everyone else that comes in is completely lost and most likely looking for the mailroom.” George, however, came to learn about photography and went on to become the “go-to lab tech loved by every student,” Nichols said.

“Even after graduating, George still gives back to the WSU photo students and lab,” Nichols said. “It’s for all of his talent, compassion, kindness, and friendship that I am honored to present Goerge with this Outstanding Young Alumnus award.”

Annan recounted spending many hours in the photo lab with Nichols and Professor Brittany Severance. “They instilled in me the self-confidence to achieve anything art related I set out to do and helped me grow into the artist I am today,” he said. “The education I received at Worcester State is something I will never take for granted as it provided me a space where my unique talents and curiosity could be nourished as I am to try my best to represent my family name, hometown, and university in my professional pursuits.”

Worcester State Alumnus Dave Bedard ’74 (right) presented the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award to David Cawley ’74.

Worcester State Alumnus Dave Bedard ’74 presented the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award to David Cawley ’74. Known as “Bear,” Cawley was a four-year starter on the Worcester State football team, served as tri-captain his senior year and was awarded defensive MVP in 1973. “To this day, David is grateful and credits the formation of the WSU football program in 1969 with keeping him interested in college,” Bedard said, until, in Cawley’s words, “the academic interests kicked in during my sophomore year.”

Cawley earned a psychology degree and went on to serve in the US Army in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and later earned a master’s degree. Over 21 years, Cawley served in senior executive roles in establishing and managing behavioral health management services across the country. In 2000, Cawley co-founded The CawleyJohnson Group in Atlanta, and has become a national leader in providing comprehensive health management and consulting services. In addition, Cawley and his wife, Chris, have been generous benefactors to Worcester State.

“David and Chris are also members of the WSU 1874 Pillar Society, having named WSU in their family trust planning, assuring that their support for Worcester State students continues long into the future,” Bedard said.

Cawley spoke from the heart about his alma mater. “Worcester State has meant a lot to both me and Chris,” he said. “I’m really proud to say I went here.”

Worcester State alumna Rosanne Matulaitis ’65 (right) presented retired educator Maryanne Hammond with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Service to Alma Mater.

Worcester State alumni couple Rosanne Matulaitis ’65 and Vincent Matulaitis ’66 presented retired educator Maryanne Hammond ’69, M.Ed. ’72, M.Ed. ’77 with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Service to Alma Mater. Hammond has been an ambassador for Worcester State for decades, recently completing 10 years of service on the Board of Trustees, in addition to serving on the Alumni Association’s Advisory Board, Reach and Touch Somebody’s Hand Alumni Council, Class Agents Committee, reunion planning committees, and a number of philanthropic endeavors. She is a member of the President’s Circle Society and a loyal Lancer.

“Even though she was a great educator for all those years, she really strived to become a cheerleader,” Mrs. Matulaitis said. “No matter where you wander, you see Maryanne, she greets you with a big smile and tells you about the wonderful things her alma mater has accomplished…. She is not just a talker, but she is also a doer! When you go to any WSU event, you will see Maryanne.”

Hammond said when she heard she was receiving the award, her first thought was, “I’m the one who should be thanking Worcester State for all it’s done for me. Worcester State gave me the ability to be a good teacher. It’s very special to teach a six-year-old how to read.”

She made a shout-out to her fellow Class of 1969 graduates: “Thank you for letting me hang around with you then. Thank you for letting me hang around with you now.”

Photos by Matt Wright ’10 and video by Andrea Dever, assistant editor for alumni relations.