Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award: Mamiella Chavis-Brown

Mamiella Chavis-Brown graduated with an Associate in Arts degree from LMC in 1977, followed by a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College. She went to work for the South Bend Community School Corporation, teaching everything from gifted programs and bilingual/multicultural programs to Kindergarten through 12th grade. She eventually made the move into counseling before her retirement in 2000.

Mamiella says of LMC, ”By the time I entered St. Mary’s, I was well prepared. Everything I learned at Lake Michigan College – fine arts, liberal arts, the sciences –carried me all of the way through my master’s degrees.”

Mamiella is a long-time member of the League of Women Voters, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, NAACP, the Urban League and Writers for Peace to Nicaragua. She has won numerous awards from these organizations and others for her extraordinary record of service. She was honored with the Rosa Parks Award by the City of South Bend during their Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, and with the 2008 Humanitas Award by St. Mary’s College.

The Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Mamiella Chavis-Brown in 2010.