SLE Award 2006 Finalists
Lake Braddock Student Wins 2005 Student Leadership in Ethics Award
"One of the toughest aspects of being an Ethics Officer is having the courage to stand up and assert the moral perspective."
— Lauren Lessard, Lake Braddock Secondary School
This year's Student Leadership in Ethics Awards finalists were Sher Afgan Tareen, Washington-Lee High School (Arlington, Virginia), and Lauren Lessard, Lake Braddock Secondary School (Burke, Virginia). Both finalists are juniors in their respective schools and have been active in the Student Ethics Office™ (SEO) program for years.
Lauren was chosen as this year's winner of the Student Leadership in Ethics Award. The panelists were impressed with the way Lauren conducts herself as a leader in her school and community. She leads by example, humbly acknowledging her faults and learning from her mistakes. Lauren also possesses the moral courage necessary to be the ethical leader needed in our schools. She writes:
"Before one quiz, the girl next to me, a girl who is gorgeous, articulate, and intimidating, was writing information on her hand. Curious, I leaned over to see what she needed to remember, and unfortunately saw information from our past novel. The girl knew I was an Ethics Officer, and was cheating right before my eyes! I was hit with an immediate fear, what should I do? With a deep breath, I looked at her, and asked, 'Is it worth it?' She looked back at me, startled, and hesitated. 'You're right,' she said, 'You're absolutely right.' She licked her fingers and proceeded to smudge out the quiz answers. Whether the girl consciously remembered I was an ethics officer or not, she did challenge my skills as an ethical leader. A leader does not lead effectively if there is no influence, and it is my belief that even by simply changing one person's actions, one ethically sound decision is a small step towards great accomplishments."
Lauren's brilliant insights into what it means to be an ethics officer can resonate with any ethics professional. She is learning in high school something that many of us don't face until we are in the work force. As a part of her school's SEO, Lauren is challenging herself and her classmates to be better individuals.
As the winner of the 2005 Student Leadership in Ethics Award, Lauren will receive a $1000 grant in addition to her award. A presentation ceremony will be held on March 13th in which Lauren will be honored in front of her school community.
While Sher Afgan was not selected as this year's recipient, his dedication to the ethical education of youth makes him an excellent finalist for this award. He has shared his love for ethics with refugee children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistani and South Asian visitors to DC, and his classmates at Washington-Lee High School. Sher Afgan's passion is to encourage dialogue about ethics. He writes:
"My school does not require instructors of ethics, but leaders who are essentially facilitators of respectful dialogue, among students, parents and faculty alike. I look forward to playing such a role, aiming to promote such discussion and debate, and to make these as relevant and engaging as possible."
Sher Afgan's endeavor is a challenging one, but he has the determination and ability to see it through. And, lucky for us, both he and Lauren are only in their junior year so they can continue to be a vital part of our Student Ethics Office™ program.
Ethics Resource Center, with underwriting support from TEOCO, sponsors the Student Leadership in Ethics Award annually. Any student who is active in their school's SEO may apply.
Nominations are gathered each year in November. Applicants are asked to submit a personal statement, a letter of recommendation from a teacher/counselor, and a letter of recommendation from a peer. All aspects of the application are equally weighted - for this award it is just as important that the student's peers see him/her as a leader as it is for those leadership qualities to be evident to an adult.
The submissions are reviewed by a panel of ethics professionals. The panel whittles the field down to a few finalists who are invited to meet a few of the panel members for an interview. This year's panel included Tina Chiriaco (Director of Business Compliance, AOL, Inc. ), Patricia Harned (President, ERC), Atul Jain (Chairman & CEO, TEOCO Corporation), Joseph Kale (Director of Ethics and Business Conduct, Lockheed Martin Corporation), Carol Marshall (Chair, ERC Fellows), and Joseph Vaccaro (Vice President of Internal Communications, Goldman Sachs).
For more information about the Student Leadership in Ethics Award or the Student Ethics Office program, please contact Rielle Miller at rielle@ethics.org or (202) 872-4772.
