Massasoit’s “29 Who Shine” Honoree Awarded at State House

May 14, 2019 – Pembroke resident Kimberly Nashawaty was recognized as Massasoit Community College’s “29 Who Shine” honoree for 2019 when she met Governor Baker and other Massachusetts House and Senate leaders on May 3 at an awards ceremony at the State House. Nashawaty is an outstanding non-traditional Honors student who pursued higher education after her own children attended college; she will be graduating from Massasoit with a 3.51 GPA.

29 Who Shine is a commencement season awards program that recognizes 29 outstanding student graduates from the Commonwealth’s public higher education system. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education launched the program in May 2011, and each 29 Who Shine honoree is nominated by an institution’s faculty or staff member, or by a university awards committee.

Nashawaty’s activities and accolades at Massasoit include serving as the president of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and Student Senate president, a Presidential Student Ambassador, and being a Honors Scholar and a Women’s Leadership Group leader. What truly makes Nashawaty an asset to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, however, is her personal commitment to serving the needs of others and her precedence for civic engagement.

Nashawaty is a staunch supporter for sexual assault victims and those experiencing homelessness. As Massasoit’s Student Senate President, she organized a yearlong initiative to assist Father Bill’s and MainSpring homeless shelter in Brockton. Nashawaty worked diligently to champion for the cause, and after recognizing the shelter needed assistance with preparing and serving meals, she scheduled several dates for the Student Senators to travel to the shelter to serve meals for the residents.

Kim continued the relationship with Father Bill’s and MainSpring and demonstrated her unselfish commitment to and advocacy for those experiencing homelessness by leading campus wide holiday drives to collect coats, hats, gloves, socks, and toiletries for the shelter.

As a certified Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative Program peer mentor, Nashawaty also assists students with intellectual or developmental disabilities in their pursuit of higher education.

Upon completion of the associate degree program in Criminal Justice at Massasoit, Nashawaty hopes to join the team at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction to participate in the new People Achieving Change Together initiative, which is specially designed to reduce recidivism among young adult offenders.

For more information about the 29 Who Shine award, including criteria, visit: https://www.mass.edu/system/29whoshine.asp.