2005 Woman of Achievement Becky Merritt is congratulated by colleagues from Clark College. Left to right: Becky Merritt, Health Services Officer Mary Deal, Curriculum Advisor Diane DiVittorio, Running Start Manager Linda Calvert.

Clark College and YWCA Clark County honored eight remarkable women at their 2005 Women of Achievement Luncheon on March 18. Becky Merritt, Manager of Clark College�s Displaced Homemaker Program, was among those honored during the ceremony, which was held at Vancouver's Red Lion at the Quay.

Clark College President Dr. R. Wayne Branch (seen in the photos above) welcomed guests to the event and presented certificates to Clark students Daniel Borgen and Marissa Katter for writing the biographies of the honorees.

Dr. Branch then introduced Clark College Board of Trustees President Sue Fratt, seen in the photo on the left, who spoke about the history and significance of the Women of Achievement Celebration, which began in 1985 as a tea to commemorate National Women�s History Month and International Women�s Day in March.

In Becky Merritt�s biography, the student writers noted that �What sets Becky apart from most is her dedication and her genuine caring for those in need.�

During her remarks, Becky Merritt, seen in the photo on the right, inspired the audience when she talked about her job and her volunteer work in the community. "I love helping people. I get to do that every day in my job at Clark College. I also get to do that in my volunteer work with YW Housing. The passion comes when you see someone smile, someone tell me that we helped them."

 

She added, "I was asked by another college person in the state how I managed to work with all of these community organizations and how they could replicate it. I couldn't do it if Clark College didn't believe that we had a place in the community, and that our community partnerships were a core value.  When Dr. Branch came to Clark, we were all asked, 'How are you connected in the community?' Easy question -- easy answer." Becky Merritt shared a quote from Katherine Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post, "To love what you do and feel that it matters -- how could anything else be more fun?"

Clark College Trustee Addison Jacobs was among those honoring the 2005 Women of Achievement.