It gives me great pleasure to present the 2018 Jeanne foster Wardian Award for the program of Masters of Arts in Sport and Athletic Administration to Mr. Aaron Vaughn.

Since Aaron has been in the MASAA program, he has exemplified what it means to be a leader inside and outside of the classroom. Aaron volunteers with the Ferris High School Baseball team as well as being and Area Leader for the Special Olympics Washington branch.

One of the pillars of the Wardian Award is the contribution of the individual to the improvement of processes and practices in order to enhance our work together.

These contributions by Aaron were evident in several capacities including his time as a Graduate Assistant with GU’s First Year Experience program AND our Physical Education activity classes.

Aaron’s supervisor Kelly Alvarado, Manager of the First Year Experience Programs had this to say…

He has been an absolute gift to our office.  Aaron has been a steadfast, dependable leader in the First Year Experience Programs. His role was to plan the transition programs and assist during New Student Orientation. When we had a staff member go on maternity leave in the Fall 2017 semester Aaron was willing to take on additional hours in the office and take on challenging tasks such as managing our department budget. He was thoughtful in regards to how he would be able to use these skills in his future career endeavors and helped us fill a much-needed administrative role.

Not only has Aaron excelled in a leadership role through his volunteering and responsibilities with the GU Physical Activity Program and First Year Experience Program, it became clear by his instructors and fellow students that he was a leader early in his Graduate Studies.