Padrón Campus Professor Receives Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award

Emily Sendin, an English professor at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus, received the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award on March 27 from Campus Compact—a non-profit promoting education and community service.

The award honors senior faculty who have shown outstanding leadership in integrating community and public service into their curricula. She is the first Miami Dade College faculty member to receive the award. 

“I felt this immense joy but also gratitude that I have been so fortunate to have community partners, colleagues and students that have worked side by side with me,” Sendin said. 

Since starting at Padrón Campus in 1999, Sendin, 48, has dedicated her life to students teaching creative writing, literature and English. 

Her work in the classroom earned her two teaching chair awards and a Fulbright scholarship to the Autonomous University of Nicaragua.

At Padrón Campus, Sendin’s passion for activism and social justice led her to create student organizations like the Imagination Federation Service Club, Sigma Kappa Delta Gamma Eta Chapter and the Hermione’s Army Chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. 

For 15 years, Sendin was the adviser to Urbana, the campus literary magazine, which published its first volume in 2008. During her tenure, the magazine won Golden Crown, Pinnacle and Pacemaker Awards. 

This past November the publication won its first Magazine Pacemaker. 

Sendin earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English Language and Literature in 1996 and 1998 respectively from Florida International University.