MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
*NEW* OMA&D SPARK SOCIAL: Celebrating Leadership & Community
Thursday, April 9, 2026 | Social Reception, 5:00 p.m.
Walker Ames Room, Kane Hall, UW Seattle Campus
This is a ticketed Event; Registration coming soon!
The inaugural Spark Social will bring together recent UW alums, students, and community members to celebrate leadership and community and connect with the next generation of changemakers. The event will honor the 2026 Spark Award recipient, Julia Jannon-Shields and celebrate the announcement of this year’s EOP Recognition Scholars. This new event reflects OMA&D’s continued commitment to creating meaningful engagement opportunities that strengthen community, deepen connections, and elevate young leaders and recent UW graduates. Learn more about the inaugural Spark Social. For more information, please reach Sandy Lam.
OMA&D’s 55th Annual Celebration Gala
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Social Reception, 5:00 p.m. | Dinner and Program, 5:45 p.m.
UW Husky Union Building, 4001 E Stevens Way, Seattle
As OMA&D’s signature annual event, the Celebration Gala raises essential funds for the Educational Opportunity Program and students while showcasing inspiring leadership, community partnership, and the extraordinary achievements of OMA&D students. The program features the presentation of the Charles E. Odegaard Award, the UW’s highest honor recognizing leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion. The event will celebrate Recognition Scholars and feature a dynamic live auction and Raise the Paddle moment that directly supports student success programs. For more information, please reach celebration@uw.edu.
BECOME A CELEBRATION GALA PARTNER!
Our partners play a vital role in the Celebration Gala’s success by providing essential support that ensures this impactful evening is possible. Alignment with the Celebration Gala offers meaningful marketing and visibility benefits and the opportunity to directly support students who face the most signficant barriers to higher education. Review our 2026 Celebration Gala Partnership Packet. To learn more, reach Crissi Mora.
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2025 IN REVIEW | May 21, 2025
OMA&D’s 54th Annual Celebration raises over $475,000 for student success!
The University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees hosted the 54th Annual Celebration on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at UW Husky Union Building. Thanks to our generous Partners and supporters, we celebrated community, leadership, and academic excellence, raising over $475,000 for the Educational Opportunity Program and student success! We are grateful to all of our supporters, community leaders, and our remarkable students for being with us and making this year’s event an evening to remember! To view the full gallery of Celebration photos, please enter your email at Tara Brown Photography.
SPECIAL THANKS to our generous 2025 Celebration Partners!
2025 Recognition Award Honorees
As the UW’s signature event to support diversity, equity and inclusion, Celebration showcases inspiring community leadership, academic excellence and our remarkable students. Here we create connections within our community of corporate partners, individuals, philanthropists, sovereign nations and with our students. By recognizing the Charles E. Odegaard Award recipient Angela King ’94 and Spark Award recipient Diana Betancourt Macias ’17, ’20, we honor inspirational community members who are examples to us all.
2025 EOP Recognition Scholars
Meet our 2025 EOP Recognition Scholars to learn more about their academic journey and aspirations.
About OMA&D’s Annual Celebration Gala
Each year, the University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees host the Annual Celebration Gala in honor of leadership, community and academic excellence! Corporate leaders, philanthropists, Tribal Nations, students, and community members come together to honor the Charles E. Odegaard Award, the OMA&D Spark Award, and EOP Recognitoion Scholars for their leadership, resilience and achievement.
The evening features a social reception featuring live music, followed by a seated dinner and an inspirational awards program. Attendees support student success through a live auction and “Raise the Paddle” program, to ensure that first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students have the support and resources they need to achieve their academic goals.
Friends of Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees
OMA&D’s Annual Celebration Gala is supported by the Friends of Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees. For more information about the FEOP Board, please reach Crissi Mora at morac@uw.edu.
Funds raised at OMA&D’s Annual Celebration support the Educational Opportunity Program expands access and opportunity for academic excellence. Learn more about OMA&D’s Educational Opportunity Program.
Accessibility & Accommodations
For more information, please reach us at celebration@uw.edu or (206) 543.0994. To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 (voice), 206-543-6452 (TTY), 206-685-7264 (fax), or dso@uw.edu. The University of Washington makes every effort to honor disability accommodation requests. Requests can be responded to most effectively if received as far in advance of the event as possible.