2 Roosevelt students receive coveted Matthew Freeman social justice awards

Posted: 03/13/2012

Sarah Heeger, a graduate student in the College of Education’s School Counseling Program, and Daniel Smrokowski, an undergraduate journalism major in the College of Arts and Sciences, have received Matthew Freeman social justice awards for outstanding contributions to their communities and society.

Roosevelt’s Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation awarded Heeger, a resident of Chicago’s South Loop who will graduate in May, for her work in helping talented, undocumented high school students at Jones Preparatory High School in Chicago to plan and apply for college.

Smrokowski, a resident of west suburban Westmont and the founder and executive director of www.specialchronicles.com, also received Mansfield’s prestigious Matthew Freeman award for his continuing efforts via media and reporting to give people with disabilities a voice.

“These are outstanding Roosevelt students who are both scholar activists,” said Heather Dalmage, director of Roosevelt’s Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation. “Their scholarship enhances their activism and their activism helps shape their scholarship,” she said.

During an internship as a counselor at Jones, Heeger started workshops and got out the word widely to undocumented seniors and their families about help that is available in getting into college and realizing the dream of a college diploma.

“Most of these kids are the first generation in their family to even dream of going to college and I have tried to be a person at Jones who is there to help them through the process,” said Heeger.

“I am honored by this award,” added Heeger, “but I definitely feel the credit should go to the students who want to go to college and have been working hard to achieve that dream.” Heeger has asked that her monetary award prize be used to fund a college scholarship for undocumented students who want to go to college after graduating from Jones.

The station manager of Roosevelt’s WRBC “The Blaze” radio station, a Special Olympics athlete and a Global Messenger speaker for the Special Olympics of Illinois, Matthew Award winner Smrokowski has overcome both mental and developmental disabilities to get through college. He will graduate in December.

During his time at Roosevelt, Smrokowski has developed the Special Chronicles website which features online podcasts of interviews he has done with a variety of people with disabilities.

“This is a group of people who don’t get a lot of opportunities to have their voice heard,” said Smrokowski, who has had hundreds of visitors download his podcasts from his website. “By hearing the voices of those with disabilities, I believe that many of us have come to be inspired and empowered,” he said. The Roosevelt student hopes to one day start a radio network for those with disabilities.

Given annually by the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation, the Matthew Freeman social justice award honors former Roosevelt student Matthew Freeman, who died days before he was to receive his degree. Through the support of his parents, Freeman’s legacy and love for social justice continues with an annual lecture and award presentation, which was held on Thursday, March 8 at the University.

Freeman’s father, Josh Freeman, who attended the lecture on “Latinos and the Justice System: Challenges and Opportunities” delivered by Oscar Chacon, executive director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, has written about the event and the need to reverse the course of hate that too frequently vilifies immigrants. The blog entry can be viewed at

http://medicinesocialjustice.blogspot.com/

Freeman is also currently writing a blog entry on the work of Heeger and Smrokowski, which will be posted soon.

Chicago 430 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL 60605(312) 341-3500 Directions & Maps

Schaumburg 1400 N. Roosevelt Blvd.Schaumburg, IL 60173(847) 619-7300 Directions & Maps

Roosevelt Online http://www.roosevelt.edu/ruonline/