Augusta University graduate students Marquietta Green and Randy LaMons received the Georgia College Counseling Association’s Graduate Student Meritorious Service Award for their work on Our Voices Matter.
Our Voices Matter is an online peer support community for black and brown scholars. Students are invited to attend weekly meetings to connect and share COVID-19-related experiences and talk about ongoing injustices.
“We hope that we are making an impact and providing what the goal is, a safe place for people to come and talk and process and share their experiences,” LaMons said. “I am glad we have received such positive feedback thus far and I hope we can continue.”
Staff Counselor & Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives Traci Westin nominated the two students for the award. The announcement was made during the GCCA virtual conference on Jan. 26, 2021. The physical awards were mailed to the students last month.
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“Marquietta Green and Randy LaMons are working toward their master’s degrees in counselor education,” Westin said in the nomination. “While juggling the myriad responsibilities of a demanding academic program and navigating the universal pressures of a viral and racial pandemic, the pair teamed up this fall with Student Counseling & Psychological Services (SCAPS) to establish a weekly peer-led support community for Black and Brown students at AU.”
Marquietta, came up with the idea during a time of high racial tensions last fall as groups like Black Lives Matter protested, LaMons said.
The two students researched existing college programs, collaborated on a meaningful name, marketed the venture during a time that the pandemic left a largely empty campus, according to Westin.
“Under their leadership, AU’s Black and Brown students now have a safe space to connect and share experiences with their peers during a time of exposed racial injustice, anxiety, grief and isolation,” she said.
Shellie Smitley is a staff writer for The Augusta Press. Reach her at shellie@theaugustapress.com
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