Avanti Alias ’16 (Santa Barbara, BA) was the keynote speaker at “Reaching for the Stars” on April 26, 2018, a fundraising event sponsored by Santa Barbara-based Youth and Family Services (YFS). Avanti is a former foster youth who spent several years in YFS programs, living at Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter and then participating in the My Home program. She talked about her struggles in coming from a family torn apart by domestic violence and then being placed in the foster care system, and praised the My Home program staff for “unparalleled love and supportive compassion,” which she says was crucial to her success.
Lem Watson
Lem Watson, EdD, Core Faculty and Professor of Inclusive Leadership and Change in the PhD in Leadership and Change program, has recently published two articles: “How to Make the Most of Intergenerational Diversity” in Higheredjobs.com and “Understanding the Work of DEI in Today’s World” for the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness on Medium. He was also profiled by his alma mater Ball State, where he received his master’s degree in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education: “Lemuel Watson and His Passion for Positive Change.”