Sharon Chinn MA ’91, receives 2016 Otis McCreery Outstanding Service Award
This award is presented annually to a student affairs professional who contributes to an outstanding SA program, provides service beyond expectation of their position, and encourages colleagues and students to pursue their own professional growth.
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Sharon Chinn, MA ’91, has been awarded the 2016 Otis McCreery Outstanding Service Award by the Northwest Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NWASAP).
This award is presented annually to a student affairs professional who exemplifies the qualities consistent with the philosophy of NWASAP, contributes to an outstanding SA program, provides service beyond expectation of their position, and encourages colleagues and students to pursue their own professional growth.
While this award officially recognizes Chinn’s outstanding achievements in her field, it also symbolizes to her what she considers to be one of her core values – to be of service to others. In accordance with this personal mission, Chinn has spent the past 25 years with the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, serving as the Director of Educational Career, Licensing, and Accreditation Services, and as the Commencement Coordinator. She tailors her career counseling to each individual, researching their intended field to provide accurate and helpful advice. This work, combined with Chinn’s philosophy of finding joy and humor in daily life, makes her the ideal recipient of this prestigious award.
Chinn began her educational journey at University of Puget Sound, where she completed her undergraduate work in comparative sociology, including a year spent at Coleg y Drindod (Trinity College) in Carmarthen, Wales, studying Welsh language, history, and society. She went on to earn a master’s degree in 1991 in counseling psychology with a focus on adult development and career counseling from the very institution she would come to serve with such dedication: Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling.
The Northwest Association of Student Affairs Professionals is the oldest regional college student personnel organization in North America, since 1940. The underlying philosophy of the organization is to provide an action-oriented conference where those who are engaged in the profession can join together to renew friendships, network, and share ideas for becoming more successful professionals.
