By Jaden Carney – On Friday, March 28, 2025, four members of the Morningside University community attended the 40th anniversary of the Siouxland Women’s Aware, Women of Excellence. The Mustangs in attendance were Dr. Leslie Werden, Chair of the Humanities Department; Melissa Nelson, Externship and Internship Coordinator for the Applied Ag and Food Studies Program; and two seniors, Sami Giesen and Aabiskar Sharma.
The Women of Excellence event is hosted by the Sioux City non-profit organization, Siouxland Women Aware. Morningside’s own Director of Campus Safety and Security, Brett Lyon, serves as the President of the Board of Directors. Lyon stated, “We do this every year during Women’s History Month and help bring to light the accomplishments of those who are often silent leaders in our community.”
Women of the community can be nominated for six categories showcase their exceptional talents:
- Women Striving To Improve The Quality Of Life
- Women Taking Risks
- Women Helping Women
- Women Developing Community
- Young Women Of Excellence
- Women Of Promise
These four individuals from the Morningside community had been nominated in the following categories:
- Aabiskar Sharma: Women of Excellence Award
- Sami Giesen: Women of Promise Award
- Dr. Leslie Werden: Women Developing the Community Award
- Melissa Nelson: Women Developing the Community Award
Both Sharma and Giesen won in their respective categories.
Morningside University is recognized for having numerous women nominated for awards at the Women of Excellence banquet. Last year, two Morningside seniors received awards. Camrie Miranda received the Women of Promise Award, and Allison Franks was awarded the Young Women of Excellence Award.
Women Aware Board President, Brett Lyon mentions that “it is great to see members of the Morningside family in attendance at the event. It is great to see that our family at Morningside nominate each other and our students for awards.”
The Morningside Community is proud of each and every individual nominated and recognized for the award. “Over the past few years, we had faculty, staff, and students not only get nominated but win awards. This is a testament to the high-quality female leaders we have on campus,” noted Brett Lyon.
We cannot wait to see what the future holds for our faculty, staff, and students!
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