Award: School of Liberal Arts Dean's Award

Given in recognition of academic excellence and engagement in the spirit of the Saint Mary’s College mission. The awards reflect positive demonstrations of academic accomplishment, service to the program or College, service to society, civic engagement, and/or scholarly or creative contributions that have made or are likely to make a positive impact on society.

Alex Chester

Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts: Liberal Education for Arts Professionals (LEAP)

Honors

Graduating With Honors
School of Liberal Arts Dean's Award

Hometown

New York, NY

Award Bio

Alex Chester is an actor and editor in chief of the online magazine Hapa Mag (soon to be called Mixed Asian Media). She is the director of Mixed Asian Media Fest—a festival celebrating mixed API's through creative art forms, happening September 2021. Alex has performed on stage and screen: Keep an eye out for her appearance on The Good Fight.

My Greatest Supporters

My family, friends, and hubby

My Next Chapter

My online magazine Hapa Mag is rebranding to Mixed Asian Media in June. In September we are hosting our first annual festival Mixed Asian Media Fest. A celebration of Mixed Asian Pacific Islanders through the creative art lens. For more info please visit www.HapaMag.com/Fest

Rai Maia Ahmed-Green

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction

Honors

School of Liberal Arts Dean's Award

Hometown

Irvine, CA

Award Bio

Rai Ahmed-Green is committed to writing about the struggle and necessity of finding joy where it exists. Her writing explores the nature of truth in memory, often captured in essays about home, nature, love, and grief. Her current projects include a collection of nonfiction essays about love in its many facets and an Afrofuturistic novel that questions the relationship between God and humanity.

My Greatest Supporters

Many thanks to my greatest supporters and sources of inspiration, my parents, Zahra Ahmed, Darian Green, Jonathan Gilmer and Natasha Green. My grandmothers Grandma Z and Grandma Dorothy. My grandfathers Grandpa Abah and Grandpa Benny, my cousin Whitney Smith and my dear friend Nyasha Makaza.