The first Mentor Awards Reception took place on Tuesday inside the Center for Student Involvement for National Mentor Month.

Students were able to nominate mentors online where judges, including Jennifer Denton, Foundation Vice President of Stewardship and Administration and Associate Vice President for University Advancement for the Foundation and Elayna Coleman, Community Hornets Coordinator and senior English major, would then choose recipients of the awards.

The event started with Lynn Hobson, Dean of Students, who opened the reception.

“Thank you for your commitment, because mentoring is a commitment,” Hobson said to all the attending mentors.

Deanna Williams, director for diversity student programs, explained the values of the mentoring program and thanked her own mentor.

“They are with you physically, but they look within,” Williams finished with her own story about the impacts she felt from her mentor.

All the nominees for the three available awards were named, following with the announcements of the winners. Cecely Jones received the student mentor of the year, Joyce Zhou received the faculty mentor of the year and Blyth Eddy and Taylor Kriley received the staff mentor of the year.

“Blythe Eddy is the ultimate mentor. She will take in anyone that needs her and has faith in every single one of them. Her empathy draws people to her,” says one anonymous nominator projected on a slideshow during the event.

Previous to the reception, week long events took place for students to show support to mentors.