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Winners, who have graduated no fewer than five years ago, have demonstrated loyalty to the University and achievements in career and or community.

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History

After her death in 2007, the award was dedicated to Brig. Gen. Elizabeth P. Hoisington ’40, who served our nation with leadership and vision—particularly as one of the first women to attain the rank of U.S. Army general. The 2008 award was the first given under the new name.

2024 Award Winner

Sheri J. Booker '04 

Sheri J. Booker is an award-winning author, educator and poet. The author of “Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home,” Booker won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Essence Magazine, Washington Post, Baltimore Magazine, NPR and TVOne. In 2014, she graced the cover of the Baltimore Sun’s “50 Women to Watch” issue.

Booker was a junior at �������� when she self-published her first book, “One Woman, One Hustle.” By age 25, she landed a major publishing deal with Avery Books.

Booker has lived and worked in South Africa, where she helped teach journalism to women in the Northern Province and created an international literary magazine. She also served as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Embassy and traveled to India to perform and teach poetry.

Booker’s passion has always been to empower young women and help them find their voices. A former middle school teacher at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, she has developed curriculum and programming for schools and organizations all over the East Coast. Each summer, she hosts the SWAGG (Success and Wisdom Awaiting Good Girls) Academy summer program for young girls in Baltimore City.

A full-time lecturer in the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State, Booker recently embarked on a new passion: writing children’s books. She created the “Imagine” series that encourages children in urban settings to dream big.