An India-born professor has been chosen for the prestigious John W Rice Diversity Equity Award instituted in the memory of the father of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Neelam Canto-Lugo, a speech professor at Yuba college for three decades, will receive the award instituted in 2001 to honour a community college staff member, district, college or programme that made the greatest contribution towards faculty and staff diversity or student equity, said California Community Colleges.
The award is named after John W Rice, who served on board of governors for the California Community Colleges from 1992-2000.
"This is a very prestigious honour for Yuba College and Neelam," said college spokeswoman Miriam Root.
Born in Chandigarh to a Hindu mother who was a vice principal of a school and a Sikh father who was a civil servant, Neelam came to the United States in 1968, settling in Modesto.
Having already earned a bachelor's degree in India, she obtained a master's degree in English at UC Davis and a master's in communications from Sacramento state, the Appeal Democrat Web site reported.
She has long served on Yuba Community College District Diversity Project Team.
Neelam created the Crossing Borders and Building Bridges Event Series to help open Yuba College students to diverse experiences, Truant noted.
The series of talks has infused diversity of thought at Yuba through the students, staff, faculty, and at Yuba administration, according to the college group.
"Her open mind and life experiences were and are her keys to being successful," Trutna said of Neelam.
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