Nominations Open for El Camino College 2024 Women of Distinction Award

The Women’s History Month Committee at El Camino College is looking for nominations from the campus and community for the 2024 Women of Distinction Award. 

This highly anticipated annual award honors exceptional women from throughout the South Bay and the El Camino community. Finalists are chosen by the committee each year during March, a month set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history. Award nominations must be submitted by Feb. 26 and may be made by friends, family, students, and colleagues; individuals may also nominate themselves.

Candidates will be judged for their contributions to women’s and girls’ causes or for service at the college or community level that supports this year’s National Women’s History Month theme: “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, bias and discrimination must be eliminated entirely from our lives and institutions.

The National Women’s History Alliance notes that “it takes courage for women to advocate for practical goals like equity, diversity, and inclusion when established forces aim to misinterpret, exploit, or discredit them. Throughout 2024, we honor local women from the past and present who have taken the lead to show the importance of change and to establish firmer safeguards, practices, and legislation reflecting these values. Following decades of discrimination, we are proud to celebrate women who work for basic inclusion, equality, and fairness.”

The committee welcomes nominations of all individuals from a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds, and from those who have a demonstrated history of contributing to El Camino and/or to the surrounding community. Candidates must live or work in the communities within the El Camino Community College District: El Segundo, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance.

The nomination deadline is Feb. 26. The leaders will be honored March 27 at the Distinguished Women Award Reception, which will also include a marketplace showcasing women-owned businesses and nonprofits. Honorees will be featured on the El Camino College Distinguished Women’s Wall of Fame (in the Schauerman Library) throughout the year, and their names will be engraved on a plaque that remains on the wall permanently.

To nominate a candidate or for more information, view www.elcamino.edu/events/womens-history-month.