Five Santa Monica College students and a senior from Point Loma High School were presented the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition 2016 Education Awards at a ceremony held Jan. 18 to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday.

This year’s awards recipients are:

• SMC sophomore Aljzana Hobdy-Clayton, who received the 2016 Clyde Smith Award for her poem “Don’t Let Those 6 Principles Go.” The award for ‘artistic effort and service to making our world a better place’ is given to celebrate the life of MLK Westside Coalition co-founder, director of the former Neighborhood Development Corporation (NRDC), and revered community leader Clyde Smith.

• SMC sophomore Terrance Chavez Ware, Jr., received the 2016 Saul Morrison Award for his essay “Peace Requires Defeating Injustice.” The award for an essay that ‘demonstrates a passion for bridge-building, community, and leadership’ is presented to honor the memory and efforts of social activist Saul Morrison to secure equal opportunities for everyone.

• SMC freshman Brenda De Angel received the 2016 Lillie Bell Blakley Award for her essay “Peace requires Justice.” The award for an essay that ‘demonstrates an awareness of tradition, legacy, and history’ is given in honor of Lillie Bell Blakley, whose passion to “keep moving forward” is apparent in her family’s multigenerational commitment to education and service, which includes son and former Mayor of Santa Monica Nathaniel Trives, as well as granddaughter Dr. Toni Trives, chair of the SMC Modern Languages and Cultures Department.

• SMC sophomore Damian Tarelle Butts received the MLK Westside Coalition’s 2016 First Place Award for his poem “The Non-Violent Way” and his original illustration of Dr. King.

• SMC sophomore Chrisauna Chery received a 2016 Honorable Mention Award from the MLK Westside Coalition for her poem “A Plea to Cry over Spilt Milk.”

Also, Point Loma High School senior Brooklynn Jade White received a 2016 Honorable Mention Award from the MLK Westside Coalition for her essay on Dr. King’s “Six Principles of Nonviolence.”

Each year, schools, churches, and youth groups invite college and high school students to submit an essay, poem, or other creative work that exemplifies the “Six Principles of Nonviolence” in Dr. King’s Stride Toward Freedom. The awards are supported by endowments established in memory of local community activists and managed by the Santa College Foundation.

SMC student Hobdy-Clayton – who was homeschooled until 11th grade – said, “My dad taught me how to read, and I have embraced literature and expression of such ever since.” Despite being told it was not possible, she graduated with honors and poetry awards. “My situations only caused me to strive harder for things that matter most to me.”

SMC student Ware – who contributes heavily to his household’s food income – states quite firmly that he has “a natural hatred for ignorant situations and people.” The first -generation college student plans to earn a Master’s degree in accounting and become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

SMC student De Angel – who migrated to the US from Mexico at age 2 – said she believed “nothing is impossible despite my citizenship status.” She is a full-time SMC student and a part-time cashier at a nearby amusement park, but is “still able to give back to my community by volunteering for two years at two hospitals.”

SMC student Butts – who is involved in SMC’s Black Collegians and STEM programs and volunteers as a homework helper at the Boys and Girls Club – is pursuing a career as a software developer. “I’m interested in researching human-computer interactions,” he said, “and the challenges of making computers useful, usable, and universally accessible to humans.”

SMC student Chery is studying to become a history teacher, and enjoys writing “when the inspiration is present” and creating new experiences with her friends.

To find out more about the Education Awards or to help support the awards, please call the SMC Foundation at (310) 434-4215.