Student recognized by White House for work with 'It's On Us'

A Grand Valley junior was among 10 college students in the country honored by Vice President Joe Biden for her work to promote sexual assault prevention.

Malayna Hasmanis, a special education major from White Lake, received the "It's On Us Champion of Change" award from Biden April 14 in Washington, D.C. Out of 400 applications from students across the country, Hasmanis and nine others were recognized for mobilizing others on campus to change the culture around sexual assault and dating violence.

Hasmanis established a new student organization, Greeks Against Sexual Assault, and is a member of Eyes Wide Open, the sexual assault peer education organization. 

"In my presentations, I wanted Greek members to understand that these issues are so impactful and that this is not just a women's issue," she said.

She will work over the summer months with Grand Valley's "It's On Us" team to revamp the second year of that campaign.

Alex Dudek is the advisor for Greeks Against Sexual Assault and nominated Hasmanis for the Champion of Change award; he said he was motivated to do so because of her tireless work to get GASA established.

"The challenge has been to have students take ownership of these movements, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have Malayna be so passionately proactive about this issue," Dudek said.