Help us honor those breaking down barriers in health, STEM, and education

For ten years, The Institute for Health and Social Equity has worked to open pathways in health, STEM, and education for those too often left out. As we mark our 10th Anniversary at this year’s Gratitude Gala, we’re honoring the people doing that same work in their own corners of the world — and we’re asking for your help finding them. Maybe it’s a changemaker opening doors that were closed before, or a teacher quietly transforming a classroom year after year. If someone just came to mind, that’s exactly who we want to hear about.

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Nominations close June 30, 2026.

The Institute Catalyst Award

Advancing Equitable Pathways in Health, STEM & Education

This award is for the trendsetter — someone in Maryland breaking down barriers and building momentum right now. Not a lifetime of work behind them, but a fire under them today. Think of the person in your field who’s doing something new, reaching people others overlooked, and making real change happen in real time.

You might nominate someone who:

• Is trying something new — a fresh approach, tool, or program that’s closing gaps others accepted as permanent.
• Is making things happen right now — with results you can already see and a reach that keeps growing.
• Connects worlds — bridging health, STEM, education, or workforce in ways that don’t usually talk to each other.
• Is changing outcomes for real communities — and those communities would tell you so themselves.

→ ACCESS THE NOMINATION FORM

The Institute Vanguard Award

Breaking Down Barriers, One Classroom at a Time

This award is for a frontline K–12 teacher in Maryland — one of those educators breaking down barriers every single day, whether or not anyone’s watching. The ones who don’t seek the spotlight but change the course of a child’s life anyway. If you’ve ever met a teacher you couldn’t forget, you know the kind we mean.

You might nominate a teacher who:

• Reaches every student — with teaching that’s creative, culturally aware, and built so no one gets left behind. Their students remember them for life.
• Shows up as a mentor — the one kids and colleagues go to, who invests time and belief in people long after the bell rings.
• Chooses the hard rooms — working where they’re needed most, with equity at the heart of everything they do.
• Leaves a mark that lasts — breaking down barriers others couldn’t, in ways felt well beyond their own classroom.

→ ACCESS THE NOMINATION FORM