Women of distinction to be honored

Six women — all unique, all touching the lives of those around them. The 2003 Women of Distinction Award winners will be honored at the Women’s Recognition Luncheon on March 27. All are eligible to receive the Woman of the Year Award.

The winners are:
Laurie Carlson, doctoral student in history
Chio Flores, associate director of financial aid and scholarship services
Linda Moore, coach of the Pullman School District math teams
Madelsar Ngiraingas, student in Women’s Studies
Marcia Saneholtz, senior associate athletic director for WSU
Mary Watrous-Schlesinger, WSU alumna and assistant professor of history

Each woman was considered based on academic work, career, leadership and public service. Also, the women had to contribute to the personal growth and success of others, especially women, through education, research, public or volunteer service.

Carlson is a doctoral student in the Department of History. She is one of the few teaching assistants in the department to have ever been given a 300-level course to teach. Carlson is an accomplished writer, with more than 15 published books to her credit, three being scholarly publications. They include “On Sidesaddles to Heaven: The Women of the Rocky Mountain Mission” and “A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials” and “Cattle: An Informal Social History.” Her book, “Boss of the Plains” won the Regional Book Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association in 1999.

Carlson is a member of the American Society for Environmental History and the Washington state liaison for the National Council for History Education. She received her bachelor’s in home economics from the University of Idaho, a master’s in education at Arizona State University and a master’s in history at Eastern Washington University.

As associate director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services, Flores’ responsibilities may not lie in the day-to-day dealings with students, but her strong work ethic and willingness to be available to students, makes her stand out among many. Outside of her job, Flores is the adviser of WSU’s chapter of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority. “The four pillars of our sorority are unity, honesty, integrity and leadership,” said one sorority member. “Chio exudes these qualities in all that she does. She is there for us, no matter what.”

Flores is the treasurer of WSU’s Chicana(o)/Latina(o) Faculty and Staff Association, as well as many other professional organizations. She earned her bachelor and master’s degrees in business administration at Eastern Washington University, before coming to WSU in 1994.

Moore is this year’s woman-outside-of-WSU award winner. She has demonstrated a strong dedication to the success of children in mathematics as the math team coach for the entire Pullman School District. She spends countless hours helping local students to not only understand math, but also enjoy it through practice and competitions. Supporters say she goes above and beyond her duties and makes herself available to the students after school and on her days off. Moore’s dedication to mathematics is especially important to the girls on her teams. She has coached some of the seniors on the team since they were third graders.

According to one supporter, Moore is a model for young female students as someone who is passionate about math and contributes to society by living out her passion: a career in math, leadership and public service.

Ngiraingas’ nominators describe her as “… an extraordinary woman, a brilliant student and a conscientious leader.” Along with her full course load, she is a single mother of two and a teaching assistant who gives thoughtful feedback and relates to other students, not just as a peer, but also as a confident instructor.

Ngiraingas is also a mentor for the Asian American Pacific Islander Student Center. She shows great ambition to help her community and is the type of person who inspires everyone around her, fellow mentors said. She is a co-founder of the Micronesian Student Association and served a year as its president. She works for the Women’s Resource Center and is an advocate of women’s involvement.

Saneholtz has been a powerful advocate for women at WSU for more than 20 years. She has seen the Department of Athletics go through countless changes during her time at WSU, including the 1983 Superior Court decision that mandated WSU provide equitable treatment of its women’s athletic programs and establish minimum standards for scholarships, operational support and participation rates. Saneholtz believes in providing female coaching role models for female athletes. She has served on many PAC-10 Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association committees and is an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators, including a stint as president.

Saneholtz earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education, health and biology from Bowling Green University in Ohio and her master’s in physical education, sports administration from the University of Washington.

Watrous-Schlesinger has taught 18 different history courses at WSU — more than any member of the department, including tenured and tenure-track faculty. She organized and led two groups of students on educational tours of Mexico and has written many articles and papers presented at professional conferences.

According to her nominators, nothing shows her creativity more than two courses she pioneered, History 325, “Food and Diversity in United States History” and History 492, “Cultural Appetites: Food in World History.” The courses combine women’s history and ethnic and racial histories in ways students find appealing, they said. She brings to both courses her skills and interests as a cook and her deep, scholarly knowledge of the role of food in many cultures.

Watrous-Schlesinger earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her master’s in history, both at the University of Portland. She earned her Ph.D. in history at WSU in 1991.

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