A New USM Award! 2003 Ambassador of the Year: Heide Banks
Heide Banks is USM's first Ambassador of the Year award recipient.Grads and students naturally share their USM experience with others all the time. Why? Because they receive so much value from their USM Soul-Centered education which continues their whole lives. Grads and students are truly the best Ambassadors of the USM experience!
This year, USM developed a new award to honor and recognize this outreach: the Ambassador of the Year Award. This award is bestowed upon a graduate who has consistently referred to USM a significant number of highly qualified students who go on to complete the First Year or the entire M.A. Program in Spiritual Psychology.
At graduation this year, the very first USM Ambassador of the Year Award was given to Heide Banks, class of ‘96. For years, Heide has made it her personal mission to share about USM with others! As a result, Heide has referred the largest number of highly qualified students to USM.
Heide’s response to receiving this award was a combination of humor and depth. “Wow – receiving this almost makes up for being thrown out of the Brownies . . . Sharing about USM is one of the most joyful things I do in my life. It’s so easy. I’m amazed at how little I have to say — people just seem to respond when I’m in my authentic Self-expression. I’m called to share with others that there is another way in this world.
“This last summer I was on the East Coast, and I was amazed at how many people I met who had either gone through the program or knew someone who had. I got to see firsthand the growth of the University . . . It’s like having the experience of the Ivy League school I always wanted to go to. If you want to know how I do it, usually I just share from my heart and that’s that . . . except with my husband. When I met my husband Howard, I actually made attending USM one of the criteria for getting married. He thanks me every day for it.”
Heide went on to say, “I am so grateful to this University. I consider it a privilege to be a graduate, and it is my honor to share about this life-changing University. Thank you.”
We thank you, Heide, for your willingness to support USM — we love knowing you are out there sharing about USM in your dynamic and heartfelt way. You truly demonstrate the positive transformation USM provides!
We also thank and acknowledge all of USM’s extraordinary Ambassadors. Your sharing makes a significant, positive difference in the lives of others. YOU ARE THIS UNIVERSITY OF SANTA MONICA!
