News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 18, 2024
10:00 am ET

MEDIA CONTACT

Mo Banks
mo.banks@andrewgoodman.org
(201) 502-6144

The Andrew Goodman Foundation To Honor Six 2024 “Hidden Heroes”

Andrew Goodman Ambassadors will be recognized for their commitment to campus civic and voter engagement in a virtual ceremony

NEW YORK, NY—The Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF) will recognize six Hidden Heroes at the 2024 Hidden Heroes Award Ceremony on Wednesday, July 31 at 7 p.m. ET on Zoom. Awardees will be recognized for their commitment to ensuring college students on campuses nationwide are registered, informed, and civically engaged during election seasons and beyond. Following the Award Ceremony, AGF will celebrate their “Founding Fifteen” Campuses in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere Program and host their first Andrew Goodman Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. 

The Hidden Heroes Award Ceremony will be held during the ninth National Civic Leadership Training Summit, themed ’64-’24: The 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer. During this virtual event, Andrew Goodman Ambassadors and young people from partner organizations will gather to hear inspiring panels and participate in training sessions, just as young organizers did ahead of Freedom Summer 1964. To register for ’64-’24 and the Hidden Heroes Award Ceremony, visit www.64to24.org.

The following six changemakers will be awarded at the ceremony on Wednesday, July 31st:

Andrew Goodman Ambassador Honoree

Bianca Sanchez, Allegheny College

This category is awarded to Andrew Goodman Ambassadors, who are integral pillars of leadership and service on their Campus Team. These Awardees display a fervent enthusiasm for an inclusive democracy by expanding student voting access on their campus and helping their Campus Team develop innovative civic organizing strategies.  

Bianca is from Rahway, NJ. She just received a B.S. from Allegheny College, where she studied Environmental Science and Political Science. She joined AGF because she enjoys engaging and educating students on campus on voter rights issues and local and national issues. Bianca recognizes how important it is for college students to exercise their right to vote, especially the importance of uplifting the voices of BIPOC students and people. She first got involved in civic work when she attended a Climate Strike in 2019, since then she has attended various protests and hosted a Climate Strike on our campus while the Allegheny AGF team registered students to vote. In the future, Bianca hopes to run for local office one day and focus on sustainability issues. She is passionate about civic engagement because we all have the right to participate in politics, and she believes that by working together, we can ensure a just democracy and a sustainable future!

Bianca has been an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for three years. Dedicated to civic engagement work in and outside of the classroom, she has successfully led the Campus Team at Allegheny College in continuing the effort to have Election Day free from classes on their “Gator Day,” which will pilot during the upcoming 2024 General Election on the campus in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Andrew Goodman Ambassador of the Year

Sydney Karlin, Ramapo College of New Jersey

This category is awarded to an Andrew Goodman Ambassador who demonstrates strong leadership and dedication to nonpartisan civic engagement. The Awardee plays a key role in the creation and implementation of innovative projects that lead to significant progress in voter engagement on their campus. They display a deep dedication to social justice, diversity, and inclusion that activates and mobilizes diverse communities on their campus and beyond.  

Sydney Karlin is an Andrew Goodman Alumna working as a Counseling Intern with Equality Mental Health. The project she is most proud of this year was the 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer Exhibit at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Sydney served as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador for four semesters, leading the Ramapo College of New Jersey Vote Everywhere Team in the implementation of creative projects and further developing the civic culture on her campus. This past spring, Sydney and her team hosted the 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer Installation on their campus during Civic Engagement Week. The installation was an interactive exhibit highlighting the history of the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. Additionally, in Fall of 2023 Sydney’s team built a robust week of civic education programming during National Voter Education Week. Sydney’s phenomenal work as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador extends beyond her ability to plan and host innovative and exciting events and programming. During her time at Ramapo, Sydney also worked to form new partnerships with campus administrators and student organizations expanding the coalition of civic engagement on Ramapo’s campus.

Andrew Goodman Campus Champion of the Year

Teri Platt, Clark Atlanta University

This category is awarded to an Andrew Goodman Campus Champion who creates and supports sustainable pathways of engagement between university administration and the student body at large. Nurturing the growth and development of their Ambassadors, the Awardee uplifts the voices of their Campus Team by using their resources and networks to accomplish institutional and organizational goals. They lead by example. Seen in all facets of their work, their passion for youth voter engagement is palpable. 

Teri Platt, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and the Director of the Isabella T. Jenkins Honors Program at Clark Atlanta University. She has over 15 years of higher education teaching experience in courses on American political institutions, public policy, urban politics and planning, and research methodology. Dr. Platt has a long-standing commitment to research and service in areas of civic engagement and community-based participatory research activities. She is currently a Faculty Affiliate with the Data Science Initiative of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University, where she is a social science researcher and lead of the Community Engagement and Dissemination Core.

Through her work with the CCRTD, Dr. Platt has received funding to explore the relationship between civic engagement, self-efficacy, and prostate health through the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Platt was a 2021-2022 Fellow with the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement at the University of California, Irvine, where she evaluated student voter engagement at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She is also the Faculty Champion for the Andrew Goodman Foundation HBCU Cohort; a Co-Designer with the Ask Every Student Initiative of the Students Learn, Students Vote coalition; a member of the Executive Council of the Students Learn, Students Vote Coalition; participant in the HBCU Community of Practice for the ALL IN Democracy Challenge; and Faculty Champion for the Democracy Fellows of the Campus Vote Project.

An active member of scholarly associations, Dr. Platt has served on committees and participated in the annual meetings of the American Society for Public Administration, Conference for Minority Public Administrators, Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, National Conference of Black Political Scientists, Midwest Political Science Association, and American Political Science Association. Dr. Platt resides in Atlanta with her family and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She provides additional service to the community through her church and the Atlanta Public Schools.

Teri has shown an unwavering diligence and commitment to fostering a vibrant civic engagement culture at Clark Atlanta University and within the AUC Votes coalition. Her efforts were pivotal in securing a temporary polling site directly on the CAU campus, ensuring convenient access for student voters. Her dedication and contributions have significantly contributed to enhancing civic participation and student empowerment within the university community.

Andrew Goodman Campus Team of the Year

Miami Dade College – Wolfson

This category is awarded to an Andrew Goodman Campus Team that shows exemplary synergy in creating their Campus Action Plan and executing their civic engagement goals. This Campus Team works together as an unbreakable unit to leverage their personal talents and interests towards the common goal of a more representative democracy. This Campus Team shares a strategic vision for growth and change and an expert ability to motivate and execute large projects as a cohesive unit. 

Kiki Mutis, Campus Champion

Kiki Mutis was born in Colombia and has lived in Miami since 1981. She is an MDC alumna and later earned an MS in Environmental Science from FIU. Kiki served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia, where she focused on soil and natural resource conservation and youth development. She has been an active board member of The Colombia Project Global, a micro-loan organization, and traveled to Colombia to meet program administrators and visit micro-loan recipients to understand their concerns better. Kiki worked for Citizens for a Better South Florida, where she helped organize urban forestry projects and hands-on afterschool science programs. She also worked at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden as the Community Outreach Coordinator and with Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, where she was the Operations and Volunteer Manager. She also has led professional development workshops for the Earth Ethics Institute at MDC for many years.

Shemika Deosthene, Andrew Goodman Ambassador

Shemika considers herself an eccentric, forward-thinking leader. From her point of view, being listened to is better than being heard, for anyone can hear what you are saying, but not everyone is listening. Treating others as you would want to be treated is a core value that has guided Shemika throughout her life in the journey of never-ending beginnings and ends.

Rio Hevia Silveira, Andrew Goodman Ambassador

Rio was born in Santiago, Chile, where they lived their whole life until moving to the U.S. in 2022. They went to high school there and was part of a Scout group that focused on leadership and self-discovery for 5 years. Due to moving away from the country before graduation and the way the US school system works with credits (which do not exist in Chile), they had to get a GED. Thanks to their scores, Rio managed to make their way into The Honors College at Miami Dade College.

The Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus Team has excelled in implementing their vision for growth and change and have become experts in their ability to motivate and execute large projects as a cohesive unit. They have distinguished themselves by executing a comprehensive campus action plan focusing on civic engagement beyond just voting and electoral work. Their strategies include hosting engaging and thoughtful programming like Civic Olympics and campaign simulations as well as partnering with campus and community organizations to expand their reach. By integrating robust civic engagement practices, they have fostered a culture of active participation and community involvement on their campus.

HBCU Service Award

Bryan Daye, North Carolina A&T University 

This category is awarded to an Andrew Goodman Ambassador within the Foundation’s HBCU Cohort who shows exemplary leadership and involvement in the cohort. The student makes a significant contribution to a major project or operation on campus and special service to the university. 

Bryan L. Daye is a dynamic leader dedicated to advancing nonpartisan civic engagement through his impactful work with the Andrew Goodman Foundation. At the helm of initiatives at North Carolina A&T State University through the Office of Leadership & CIvic Engagement, Bryan developed and executed campus-wide programming that heightened awareness of political issues, fostered civic learning, and encouraged peers to “develop their capacity to change the world.” His leadership was pivotal in leading a team of over 25 students, administrators, and faculty, resulting in a remarkable increase in institutional voting rates by 19.4 points to 92%, marking the highest voter registration rate ever recorded at an HBCU.

Bryan’s commitment to excellence was recognized by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for his outstanding efforts in enhancing nonpartisan political engagement and voter participation. Under his guidance, NC A&T’s NSLVE campus SEEL standing rose from Bronze to Gold Level, underscoring his dedication to data-driven strategies in promoting civic involvement. Moreover, Bryan bridged community gaps by fostering collaboration that connected students to the Greater Greensboro community, thereby reinforcing robust support for campus democratic initiatives. His work continues to set a standard for effective civic leadership and community engagement in higher education. Bryan hopes to pursue his MBA, MPA, and PhD and become a Social Impact Executive at a F100 corporation.

Bryan was selected for the HBCU Service Award for the outstanding work done as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador throughout his entire tenure at North Carolina A&T State University. His leadership was marked by significant achievements in increasing voter registration numbers each year and consistently executing impactful civic engagement events on campus. Under his leadership, NCAT received the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s 2021 Best Action Plan Award and the Highest Voter Registration Award in the Historically Black College and University category. Brandon himself was honored as an honoree for the 2021 All In Campus Democracy Challenge, recognizing his dedication and contributions to fostering civic engagement and voter participation within the university community.

Rising Star of the Year

Laianni Moore, Tennessee State University

This category is awarded to an Andrew Goodman Ambassador who is a first- or second-year student and exhibits the qualities of an Ambassador Honoree. 

Laianni Moore is a rising Junior majoring in Political Science with a minor in English at Tennessee State University (TSU) from Huntsville, Alabama. She has always known she wanted to dedicate her career to making a difference and fighting for people who feel powerless in the world around them, so she decided to set her sights on becoming a lawyer. Upon this decision, the instant realization of her differences as an African American woman was instilled into her mind. While these characteristics can often make one’s path more difficult, they only fueled and motivated her to do everything in her power to ensure her and others’ chances of success. Throughout these past two years of college, she has searched for people, organizations, and opportunities with the same values and passions. Prior to becoming an Andrew Goodman Ambassador, she found organizations that believed in the same principles as herself, such as the TSU Pre Law Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, which she joined during the Fall Semester of her Sophomore year. During the Spring semester of her Sophomore year, she met the graduating Andrew Goodman Ambassador and began to learn the ropes. Laianni has spent this past semester reaching out to her peers to ask what they need, implementing ideas, and recruiting another Campus Ambassador. Moving forward, especially with this upcoming election season, she cannot wait to inspire, encourage, and aid her peers while they begin to vote for the first time or carry on previously rooted voting habits.

Laianni was selected as our 2024 Andrew Goodman Rising Star of the Year as a result of her dedication and proactive approach as an ambassador on campus. Despite being new to her role with AGF, she has already made significant strides by initiating campus-wide newsletters. These newsletters serve to educate students about upcoming election deadlines and various civic engagement events across the campus. Laianni’s leadership has been instrumental in revitalizing the civic engagement community at her university, laying a solid foundation for future initiatives. We anticipate great achievements from her during her tenure as an ambassador and beyond.

To attend the virtual ceremony on Wednesday, July 31st, at 6 p.m. ET, register here.

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training the next generation of leaders, engaging young voters, and challenging restrictive voter suppression laws. The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a Freedom Summer volunteer and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered, alongside James Earl Chaney and Michael Schwerner, by the KKK in 1964 while registering Black Americans to vote in Mississippi. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org. 

###