University of Redlands
Zharit Brand RoblesZharit’s ability to turn her passion for racial and gender justice into impactful practices across campus makes her a deserving co-recipient of this year’s Jacob Green Memorial Prize. She helped to organize and host RAINN week (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) which seeks to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. She worked with Summer Bridge and STEP to help first generation students foster a sense of belonging on campus. She coordinated weekly Friday campus visits by middle school students from underserved areas, bringing over 1,300 to campus over the last three semesters.
Zharit’s commitment and ability to collaborate and organize made her a bedrock for many programs on campus like Hispanic Heritage Month, MLK Week, Black History Month and Women’s History month. She also applied those skills to building growing relationships between Greek organizations and CDI, carrying on the work of Jacob Green and the 2022 prize winner David Hazward.
Zharit encouraged and inspired people with her enthusiasm and energy and created a sense of optimism and hope. Others turned to her leadership and her unfiltered opinion was highly valued. With her radiant smile and caring presence, Zharit naturally invited others to be involved, specifically other first-year student commuters. She has done all this, while also working part-time off campus and commuting to school. For all of these outstanding contributions, we are honored to name Zharit Brand Robles one of this year’s Jacob Green Memorial Prize winners.
Jennifer Sacor VelascoJenni Sacor’s career at the University of Redlands was distinguished by her strong leadership across campus. She was President of the Latin American Students and Alumni Association as well as the Alpha Xi Omicron sorority. She was the student representative on the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration committee, and the main coordinator of the Living on Common Ground Festival. She also was a leader in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, where she was the liaison to other student organizations.
Though Jenni found herself leading in diverse settings, there was consistency in her leadership style that earned praise from her peers and supervisors. She is described as a leader everyone can depend on. Her positive attitude and presence made people feel welcomed and comfortable, which, in turn, helped them to realize their full potential.
Jenni’s warmth and friendliness, combined with her organizing skills and strong work ethic were especially evident in her work on the 2023 Living on Common Ground Festival. The Festival was a success because Jenni built cooperative relationships with individuals and organizations on and off campus. She spoke eloquently about the history and vision of the Living on Common Ground Festival which helped people to see why it was important to participate.
As one nominator wrote, “What I remember most about Jacob is his passion for expressing love to all. Jenni is one of the leading faces on campus who embodies this facet of Jacob the most.” We are honored to name Jenni Sacor one of this year’s co-recipients of the Jacob Green Memorial Prize.
