Berklee Urban Service Awards
May 22, 2015
Berklee’s Office of Community Affairs and Campus Engagement (CACE) awarded Berklee Urban Service Awards this spring to 36 students, faculty, staff, and partners in recognition of the incredible work they do using music as a catalyst for social change in the Greater Boston area.
At this year's ceremony, held April 25 at the David Friend Recital Hall, a number of Berklee students were recognized for their work with the Community Service Work Study Program, the Movement, and Berklee City Music. Two of these honorees, Casey McQuillen and Wambura Mitaru, were featured performers at the ceremony. McQuillen was recognized for using music to empower young people through You Matter, an anti-bullying initiative she founded. Mitaru founded Berklee Winter Closet, which collects donations to provide winter clothing to students from warmer clients. As part of this year’s ceremony, three students were also surprised with Public Service Through Music scholarships: Emily Higgins, Roger “RJ” Walters, and William Zimmer.
One of the highlights of the event was Berklee faculty member Eguie Castrillo being called to the stage to be honored as Performer of the Year for his performance at the 2014 Tito Puente Latin Music Series, which is part of Berklee’s Summer in the City concert series. Castrillo’s band joined him in a lively performance that, in a testament to his power to entertain, got the audience on its feet.
This year’s ceremony also featured two performances by students from the West End House Boys and Girls Club, as well as the presentation of an award to Ryan Woods, the longtime Berklee partner and director of External Affairs for Boston Parks and Recreation, by Boston Parks Commissioner Chris Cook.
The Berklee Urban Service Awards are a great opportunity to recognize the many people making a difference in the local community, so please consider nominating someone for next year’s awards.
A full list of this year’s winners can be found below the video highlight reel of this year’s ceremony.
Berklee Students
Magdalena Abrego
Kelsey Crawford
Elijah Davis
Eli Dawson
Elena Goddard
Kathryn Hallberg
Sutter Hellwarth
Emily Higgins
Megan McGarry
Casey McQuillen
Wambura Mitaru
Colin Shin
Wilbert Tecla
Roger "RJ" Walters
William Zimmer
Berklee Faculty and Staff
Eguie Castrillo
Maria Goldberg
Chantel Hampton
Herman Hampton
Kathryn Hencir
Hey Rim Jeon
Tamia Jordan
Kimberly Khare
Tod Oliviere
Annette Philip
Rob Rose
Sara Tomassetti
Community Partners
Marie Fukuda
Tim Horn
Charlie Lewis
Ryan Woods
Gregg Yoshida
Jackson-Mann School
MGH Music Therapy and Environmental Music Program
The Murdock Manor Presents
The Women's Lunch Place
