Our 2021 Marshall Leadership Awards Recipients Lead us into the Future
In partnership with the City of Vancouver, the Trust recognized the work and achievements of 13 rising Clark County leaders on April 27th, 2021 at our annual General George C. Marshall Leadership Awards. It was a virtual ceremony presented by Riverview Community Bank.
Every year the Marshall Leadership Awards selection committees undertake the difficult task of choosing recipients for the young professional and high school senior awards. This year was no exception to that challenge with many outstanding candidates.
“We are proud to honor General George C. Marshall who is known for coordinating the U.S. response to World War II, and for promoting economic recovery for the European allied countries following the war. His legacy continues to serve as an example to young leaders. We are pleased to announce that the Young Professional Award went to Jasmine Tolbert and the High School Senior Award went to Pu-Kai Tseng,” says Stacey Graham, interim president/CEO of The Historic Trust.
At the age of 26, Jasmine Tolbert has already made her mark on our community. She works in the human resources department for the Vancouver Clinic while also serving as president of NAACP Vancouver and in a board position at the YWCA Clark County. Like General Marshall who was directly involved in the establishment of the military aviation program at the Tuskegee Institute, Jasmine worked tirelessly to respond to systemic racism and racial inequities within Clark County by organizing listening sessions. In the past year, she organized a Black Lives Matter peaceful car demonstration attended by 3,000 Clark County residents.
“The opportunity to serve on the Equity Diversity Advisory Board for WSUV is something I hold close to my heart. I truly started my activism on campus and being invited back to my Alma Mater in this way was a huge honor.”
Pu-kai Tseng immigrated with his family from Taiwan when he was in 3rd grade. He worked to learn English, and then to progress to achieving a 4.6 GPA. Through Pu-Kai’s volunteer involvement with OMSI’s Teen Science Alliance Program, he learned that not all students have the same opportunities to explore STEM fields. He responded to that need by founding the Send2Space non-profit organization where he serves as president. The mission of Send2Space is “To create a world where all youth, regardless of their backgrounds, are connected to opportunities that create a new generation of STEM leaders.” This fall, Pu-Kai will enter an accelerated seven-year MD program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.
“I also enlisted into the Air Force Reserve to serve this country while pursuing higher education, hoping to truly make a difference in this world as General Marshall did,” says Pu-kai, who shiped out for basic training on April 30th.
The Adult Finalists include: Jasmine Tolbert, NAACP Vancouver (2021 Marshall Adult Leadership Award Recipient); Sean Philbrook, Identity Clark County; and Kim Harless Felix, LULAC and Clark County Charter Review Committee.
The High School Senior Finalists include: Pu-Kai “Phil” Tseng, Union High School (2021 Marshall Youth Leadership Award Recipient); Olivia Ledbury, Battle Ground High School; Piper Lemon, Heritage High School; Lauren Bennett, Washougal High School; Erin Ryan, Skyview High School; and Katie Huynh, Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) High School
The Historic Trust is grateful Presenting Sponsor Riverview Bank; Engage Sponsor Davidson and Associates Insurance; and Supporting Sponsors Waste Connections and Community Military Appreciation Committee.
Thanks also to Scholarship Sponsors: Klinge/Meyer Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington and Dr. Roger and Katie Jarvis.
