Dausny has helped set a precedent of positivty with every interaction in the Middle, Secondary, and Mathematics Education Department. Her contributions to the College of Education community as a student, a dedicated worker, and as a leader who uplifts everyone around her.

Building Community

Dausny fosters a rich and welcoming community in each environment she joins by identifying needs and developing supports and strategies to meet them. For example, as a member of ROOP and as an Executive for this organization her sophomore year, Dausny created activities to foster relationship building for teh Freshman members. Additionally, in her work with the German Honor Society, she talked with new members to help them navigate the German major and worked with a professor to create a Canvas page compiling resources to increase students' access to supports. Dausny not only nurtures communities on our campus, she reaches beyond JMU to connect to communities globally. As a member of Students Helping Honduras, Dausny collaborates with chapters at University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and a nonprofit organization in Honduras developing local schools.

Inspiring Others

Everyone who has the privilege of working with Dausny is bound to be inspired. As her colleagues, we benefit from her positive attitude, problem-solving mindset, and her modeling of self-compassion. It is so uplifting to work on problems with her because she instills others with courage and calm. Dausny regularly receives feedback from professors, staff, peers, and K-12 students that she is an inspiration. One of her fellow members in ROTE (Raising an Organization of Trained Educators), a student who is from Honduras, was having a difficult time, low attendance, and struggline with  some documentation requirements. This students confided in her how hard it can me to navigate college, but that they felt hopeful seeing Dausny as a model of a successful outcome. Furthermore, after completing a ROTE placement with a middle school class, the classroom teacher sent Dausny an email message saying, "I think you have given students some confidence builders to help them feel safer in the classroom! I appreciate your sttention to all of the students. We will really miss you." The following school year, a middle school student from this class had the pleasure of working with Dausny again in a high school setting and told her that she was really happy to work with her again and that Dausny made her want to push herself to work harder.

Caring Attitude

Dausny is currently serving in her fifth term as a Student Employee at JMU, and each department is fortunate to have a colleague with such a caring attitude to support students and faculty. She takes time to get to know each of her colleagues, asking about our lives and interests and thoughtfully remembering conversation. Dausny is currently an employee of two departments, and she maintains good relationships with each of us. As the more tenured student employee, Dausny is indredibly welcoming, helpful, and friendly when new Graduate Assistants join our team. Dausny shares her knowledge freely and answers any questions kindly and without judgment. She seeks ways to help everyone feel included and part of a team.

Dedication  to Learning

Dausny demonstrates a consistent dedicatino to learning. When presented with opportunities to go beyond, she eagerly accepts! To gain some practice and pllication of her German minor, Dausny helped translate letters from German to English for the Waynesboro Heritage Museum. Over the past two years, she has also volunteered as a tutor with Skyline Literacy, an organization that provides instruction for adults in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in literacy, English, and citizenship. Dausny speaks often about how much she learns from her students' stories. Finally, even in th emiddle of a busy semester, Dausny embraced an invitation from Professor Manita Khemthong to help prepare for and present at the Asian Studies Conference this year.

Commitment to Working Together (Collaboration)

Dausney exemplifies a collaborative spirit. In her fifth term working as a Student Employee for our department, Dausny flexibly and easily collaborates with each new group of Graduate Assistants that join us. She actively seeks to learn others' strengths and to collaborate in ways that maximize each person's gifts. In spite of being younger and earlier in her career trajectory, she provides training and guidance to the GAs as needed. In her student organizations (ROTE, ROOP, and German Honor Society, etc.), she is often the organizer who works with her peers to create a plan that includes the work and ideas of others. Dausny follows up with her team members and reassures them that she's there to support.

Unique Contribution of Nominee

She drove a bus for Dr.Higdon's field trip and enjoyed recapping stories from the experience. Dausny Cruz is truly a unique member of our JMU community. She leverages her participation in and appreciation for diverse interests to connect a wide array of people and resources on our campus and beyond. She is involved in a variety of students organizations: Queer in Nature Club, Students Helping Honduras, Future Social Studies Educators (FSSE), ROTE, and the German Honor Society (Delta Phi Alpha), and she often finds herself in a leadership role. She is very knowledgeable about the Middle, Secondary, and Mathematics Department as a long-time student employee and a current student in the program. Her knowledge enriches experiences for her colleagues as well as her classmates. 

Written by - Katie Dredger, Charles Jackson, Lizzy Lyons, and Lauren McCusker