Phenomenal Women Awards

The annual Phenomenal Women Awards recognizes women for their accomplishments and contributions to our community through their scholarship, activism and commitment to excellence. Individuals are encouraged to nominate women who have made a difference in their lives.

Nomination Process

  1. To be eligible, nominees must either be a student, faculty and/or staff member of Wichita State University.
  2. Prior recipients are ineligible for nomination.
  3. To be considered for the award, the nominee must be:
    • A woman who has distinguished herself in academic work, career, leadership, public service or any combination thereof.
    • A woman who has contributed to the personal growth and success of others, especially women, through education, research, or public or volunteer service above and beyond her expected job responsibilities.
    • A woman whose achievements create positive social change, increase equality for all and build community through service.
  4. All nomination submissions should be submitted through the nomination form.
  5. A committee will select the recipient based on the nomination criteria.
  6. All nominees will be invited to the annual Phenomenal Women Awards reception in spring. This event is by invitation only.
  7. Nomination deadline dates are announced through various University communication methods and this website.

Phenomenal Women Award Recipients of 2022

Phenomenal Women Award Recipients of 2022

Kaelyn Hannah
Kaelyn Hannah
Kaelyn Hannah

Kaelyn Hannah, Student

Kaelyn Hannah is a junior majoring in media arts with a concentration in filmmaking and a minor in communications. On campus, she served as the vice president of marketing and is the current president of Student Ambassador Society. She is also a team lead for Shocker Navigators and is a second year transition mentor for the College of Fine Arts. She works as an intern in the Office of Admissions and First Year Programs using her experience to help students navigate their way through the college search process all the way through their first year in college.

Kaelyn was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas and falls more in love with the city each day. She is passionate about highlighting the local talent in her community as well as sharing stories that often get left untold. Currently, she is working on a documentary entitled “Imposter” which shares stories of various leaders at Wichita State who struggle with imposter syndrome in hopes to share with others that they are not alone and build a community from it. Upon graduation, Kaelyn intends to expand her production company, Khaos Productions, with a goal to create a platform for women in the film industry.

Carryl Baldwin, Ph.D.

Carryl Baldwin, Carl and Rozina Cassat Distinguished Professor of Aging & Regional Institute on Aging Director, Department of Psychology

No biography present.

Dr. Marci Young
Dr. Marci Young
Dr. Marci Young

Dr. Marci Young, Director of Prevention Services, Counseling & Prevention Services

Dr. Marci Young came to Wichita State University in 2018 as an outreach coordinator for Counseling and Testing Services. She currently serves and the director of Prevention and Outreach in Counseling and Prevention Services. Dr. Young earned her Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Utah and her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute, Berkeley. She engages passionately in the pursuit of creating and increasing communities of support for mental wellness. In addition to her clinical work, this includes creating programming for mental wellness promotion, sexual violence prevention, suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention. During her time at WSU she has created connections at WSU, as well as local and regional connections to allow increased knowledge and resources for individuals in Kansas. She oversees the Suspenders4Hope program which has been responsible for training over 3,500 individuals in suicide prevention, and serves as a symbol for mental health awareness in Sedgwick county. Dr. Young has responsible for bringing over $650,000 through grants and partnerships into the university to fund positions and resources for prevention programming, created a prevention peer education program, and created and oversees many applied learning opportunities.