For 13 years Pusaporn Tabrizi has worked to better the lives of multicultural students. Now she is UW-Platteville’s Woman of the Year.

Pusaporn Tabrizi

Tabrizi, the senior adviser for the Multicultural Educational Resource Center came to UW-P in 1997 as an adviser to MERC. Since then she has taken over the advisement of the university’s ASIA and Hmong clubs.

The Woman of the Year is chosen by a sub-committee of the University Women’s Council. Anyone who has contributed significantly to women’s issues can be nominated, but the recipient has to excel at it.

“The committee looks for those who go above and beyond their job by doing something special for women,” said Vickie Dreessens, vice chair of the woman’s council.

“All of the women who receive the award are absolutely amazing,” said Tammy Salmon-Stephens, another member of the council and the director of women in engineering program. “It’s a very difficult process to choose.”

The committee said they chose Tabrizi based on her involvement with the campus community as an adviser and mentor, and particularly because of her work with women in the Asian and Hmong community.

“She really understands students individually. I think that’s really important,” graduate student Eriko Miyata said. “Students trust her and build good relationships with her.”

Tabrizi’s award reception is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in the Patricia A. Doyle Women’s Center.

“This award is for every woman in my opinion. It’s not just for me,” Tabrizi said. “I’m not the only one doing this work. There are many others on campus doing the same.”