(KALAMAZOO) MICH – Explorer Aliah Ward is passionate about giving back to her community. As a member of the Merze Tate Explorers, she serves as Community Service Chair, a leader for your Explorers, and a recently published author of the book Aliah Goes for the Gold, highlighting the Girl Scouts Gold Award process through the eyes of a teenage Girl Scout. Explorer founder Sonya Bernard-Hollins nominated Ward for the YWCA of Kalamazoo Young Women of Achievement award. She received the honor during the annual award, which was presented on May 23 during the 2024 Awards Celebration at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo.

Ward was among 13 women honored during the gala, which highlighted those whose work in their fields contributes to the betterment of the community in areas ranging from social justice to community advancements. According to the event brochure, those selected were celebrated for their “life-changing impact on our communities.”

Aliah is not the only Explorer to be awarded this honor from the YWCA. Her sister, Sierra Ward, received the award in 2023 for her leadership as a student at WMU. In addition, Tayla Dillard, a former Explorer, also was recognized at this year’s event.

Other Young Women of Achievement recipients included Cherry Acosta, Kynnedy Brown, Tayla Dillard, Genesis Griffin, and Breyana Wilson. Adult honorees included Western Michigan University professor of psychology Carla Adkinson-Johnson, Ph.D., Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan CEO Jan Barker, Kalamazoo Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess, Choices for Change director Michelle Zukowsky Serlin, and Patricia Carlin, who was awarded posthumously for her work in education. Charlae Davis, executive director of ISSAC, received the Dorothy I. Height Award for Social Justice Innovation.

The night ended with the awarding of the Lifetime Woman of Achievement to Mattie Jordan-Woods, whose decades of tireless work as director of the Northside Association for Community Development has led to strides in economic development for the city’s north side.

After the event, the Ward parents thanked Bernard-Hollins for nominating Aliah for the award. “You have done so much to get these girls recognized in the community and exposed to the world,” said Atiba Ward. “We truly appreciate all that you have done.”