Outstanding Students Selected as Great Women of the
Great Lakes Bay
Four leading female students will join eight outstanding female
leaders in being honored as “Great Women of the Great Lakes
Bay Region.” Jacquelyn Baker of Delta College, Kristian
Patterson of Saginaw Valley State University, Sara Pawlacyzk of
Northwood University and Liesel Toth of Central Michigan University
were each nominated by their respective institutions to receive the
award.
The Graff Chevrolet dealership in Bay City and Saginaw Valley State
University Athletics created the “Great Women” program
to draw attention to local women for their extraordinary commitment
of time, talent and experience in a meaningful way to advancing
Bay, Isabella, Midland and Saginaw counties.
Baker has maintained a 4.0 grade point average at Delta while
serving as president of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society, and as a
member of the Student Leadership Academy and the Honors Program.
She also has been honored with the Co-Op of the Year award for her
time working in administrative services at Dow Corning. Baker is
expected to complete an Associate of Arts degree this spring and is
enrolled to start at Central Michigan University in August to study
integrative public relations.
Patterson is a social work major at SVSU. She has been the
president of the Organization of Black Unity for three years and
secretary of the Valley Voices gospel choir. Patterson has been
active in community service on and off campus, volunteering for the
SVSU Relay for Life, Alternative Breaks, the regional Martin Luther
King Jr. Celebration, and several programs designed to welcome
freshman to the university, including Fresh Start orientation and
freshman move-in weekend. She is a member of Phi Alpha Honor
Society, the Student Social Work Organization and the Student
Conduct Hearing Board.
Pawlacyzk is a graduate student at Northwood. She has earned
academic all-GLIAC honors five times as a member of the Northwood
women’s basketball team, appearing in more than 100 games.
Pawlacyzk has served as vice president of the Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee and works in the Athletic Department. She
currently works as a game day operations graduate assistant, as
well as a student ambassador and orientation leader in the
Admissions Department.
Toth is a senior at Central Michigan University studying health
fitness and rehabilitation. She is a captain of the CMU soccer team
and was selected as the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and first
team all-conference in 2011. A member of the Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee, Toth also volunteers within elementary schools,
camps, clinics and other events sponsored by CMU athletics. She
will graduate in May and has enhanced her academics by completing
the Leadership Institute training and development program and
recently joining the Ignite Leadership Program.
The Great Women of the Great Lakes Bay Region will receive their
awards Wednesday, Feb. 8. The eight professional honorees were
announced previously. Their profiles are available online at
athletics.svsu.edu/gwglbr.
A networking reception will begin at 4 p.m. in SVSU’s Curtiss
Hall. The program includes a panel discussion on how women can
serve as change agents and make a meaningful difference in their
communities. Kelly McMann, music director at Mix 106.3 WGER-FM,
will moderate the discussion. The ceremony is open to the public
and free of charge, but seating is limited.
The honorees also will be publicly recognized during halftime of
the women’s basketball game between SVSU and Northwood that
begins at 6 p.m. That game is Girl Scout Night, and all girl scouts
wearing official Girl Scouts apparel will be admitted free of
charge, along with up to two guests each. For others, tickets are
$5 for general admission and $3 for students and seniors.
Presented by Graff Chevrolet of Bay City and Mt. Pleasant, The
Great Women of the Great Lakes Bay Region award is sponsored by
General Motors, Independent Bank, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and hosted
by SVSU Athletics.
To register for the awards ceremony or for more information,
contact Angela Pohl at gwglbr@svsu.edu or(989)
964-7311.