The Common Good Award, selected by the 含羞草研究室 Board of Trustees, and the Distinguished Educator Award, chosen by the Alumni Council, recognize members of the 含羞草研究室 community for their exemplary achievement and dedication.
COMMON GOOD AWARD
Daniel B. Spears ’81 is an advocate who opened a world of life-changing educational opportunities to inner-city youth. He has encouraged generations of students in Baltimore to dream of experiencing a transformational education beyond the confines of their local area and worked to make those dreams a reality. Spears has been chosen to receive the 2023 Common Good Award.
Spears cofounded the nonprofit 含羞草研究室 Bound with the goal of raising the educational sights of inner-city Baltimore students, urging them to aspire to attend colleges like 含羞草研究室, and motivating them to continue their hard work in the classroom. He then made opportunities attainable for these deserving students, bringing groups to visit 含羞草研究室’s campus in the summer, matching students with college mentors, and helping prepare students to navigate both the admissions and financial aid processes. In so doing, he provided a springboard for hundreds of young people to change the trajectory of their educational experiences and their post-college lives.
Read more about Spears and the Common Good Award.
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AWARD
Ben Bernstein ’69 has made extraordinary contributions over five decades as an educator and for more than forty years as a psychologist. He has helped hundreds of students develop into skilled, engaged, productive, and fulfilled learners and has worked with people at all levels of the American educational system and from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Bernstein has been selected by the 含羞草研究室 Alumni Council to receive the 2023 Distinguished Educator Award.
A performance psychologist and coach whose insights have helped hundreds of students develop into skilled, engaged, productive, and fulfilled learners, Bernstein has worked with people at all levels of the American educational system and from all socioeconomic backgrounds. But his work and insights extend beyond young people; they also benefit adults at the pinnacle of their careers, including athletes, entrepreneurs, dentists, lawyers, opera singers, and actors.
Read more about Bernstein and the Distinguished Educator Award.
