WKU News

WKU Campus Community,

President Caboni has worked with the DEI team to create a new President’s Award for Diversity Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This award honors members of the campus community— a faculty member, a staff member, and a student— who have made extraordinary contributions to and efforts toward advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The award shows WKU’s commitment to DEI by celebrating individuals who encourage dialogue and action through advocacy, role modeling, scholarship, and service. The following individuals are the 2023 recipients of the President’s Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They will be formally recognized at the Employee Excellence Dinner on April 11, 2023 (faculty & staff) and the Senior Awards Celebration on April 25, 2023 (student):

• Aurelia Spaulding (Staff)
• Fabián Álvarez (Faculty) 
• Layla Dalton (Student) 

On behalf of President Caboni, please join us in congratulating these DEI Award winners! For information on each winner’s contributions to our campus, please see below.

Your DEI Team -

#ONEWKU

Aurelia Spaulding (Staff)

Aurelia Spaulding is the Assistant Director for Marketing Communications at Western Kentucky University as well as the founder and Executive Director of For a Real Change, Incorporated. Through her work, she exemplifies her passion for empowering youth through education and meaningful service experiences by creating opportunities for them to succeed, especially those who have historically been at risk of exclusion in educational opportunities. She engages with youth through programs such as Minding My Math Business, a five-day inclusive summer program for Black and Brown youth to learn rigorous mathematics; Dueña de mi Futuro, an enrichment program specially designed for Latinas in grades 6-12; and MySiS, an academically engaging mentoring program designed for Black teen girls in grades 6-8 to script their path to success. Aurelia is also a co-founder and co-director for the Jonesville Academy, an initiative designed for Black, Latino, and multiracial young men in grades 3-8 in Bowling Green and Warren County to engage in interactive learning from teachers of color, mentorship, networking, and community engagement with peers. Additionally, Aurelia regularly works with Intercultural Student Engagement Center at Western Kentucky University to provide support to WKU students and engage them in service activities within their communities. She is also an active member and officer with the local NAACP and contributes to other activities that promote fairness and cultural engagement in the larger Bowling Green community. Aurelia consistently shows up as an active participant in the very important work of diversity, equity and inclusion and in her efforts to provide a long-term positive impact in our campus and local communities. Aurelia serves on the University’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workgroup, President’s Jonesville Reconciliation Workgroup, and previously on WKU’s Naming and Symbols Taskforce. She teaches adjunct in the School of Leadership and Professional Studies.

Fabián Álvarez (Faculty) 

Fabián Álvarez is an Assistant Professor of English at Western Kentucky University. Since coming to WKU in 2007, he has engaged in service initiatives for the campus community and the consistent thread in his service is a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. He serves on DEI Committees for the English Department, Potter College, and the University, and is a member of CITL’s Community of Practice Fellows who were collaborators in the creation of the Inclusive Teaching Academy. Fabián is also a faculty advisor, supporter, advocate, and mentor to historically underrepresented students, specifically with the Hilltopper Organization of Latin American Students group and the Intercultural Student Engagement Center. He has served on numerous committees at WKU that support DEI initiatives such as the Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, the Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee, the President’s Committee for Diversity and Embracement, and the DEI Strategic Planning Group. Fabián’s work also reaches to our local communities such as serving as a mentor for the WKU Young Male Leadership Academy and for Latino students at Warren Central High School as well as an advisor for Mariachi Sol, Jonesville Academy, and the Hispanic Organization for the Promotion of Education. Fabián has not only demonstrated passion for and active participation in activities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at WKU and its local communities, but he has done so in a way that is sustainable and impactful. 

Layla Dalton (Student) 

Layla Dalton, a senior majoring in Business Data Analytics at WKU, exhibits diversity, equity, and inclusion in her daily life. As a founding member of the student DEI committee and its liaison to faculty and staff in the Gordon Ford College of Business, she regularly communicates and collaborates with her fellow peers, staff, and faculty about events and efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Whether she is promoting and planning events, tabling at the GFCB, informing students about the committee and upcoming events, encouraging students to join the committee, or assisting with setting up and hosting events, she is beyond helpful. In addition, Layla was actively involved in the events during Gordon Ford’s DEI week held in the Spring of 2022, serving as a moderator for a LGBTQ+ Discussion Panel, planning, promoting, and preparing for events, cleaning up after the events, and creating an electronic survey to assess the events. She even took the results from the surveys and used her data analytic skills to summarize the data, sharing the results with others. In addition to her direct work with the GFCB's DEI efforts, she also served as a Resident Assistant for the GFCB Living and Learning Community, taking the initiative to plan activities and opportunities to create an inclusive environment for her pod. Layla’s DEI efforts and commitment have positively influenced the shaping of a more inclusive culture for the WKU community.