2017 Infinite Mile Award Recipients

In the firehouse that is Copytech, you battle the flames of file transfers and complex print needs with expertise and teamwork. The only thing missing is a big red truck.

You remain cool under pressure, expertly disarming and reassuring even the most stressed-out customer that, yes, you can produce 50 spiral-bound, heavy-stock copies of a thesis in 20 minutes.

You work in tandem, interchanging responsibilities with ease to ensure the very best in customer service.

On any given day, you handle the simplest and most difficult of requests with care, kindness and conscientiousness.

A customer wrote of visiting you at Copytech, “I just came down to find some happiness for a few minutes. You guys are always happy to see me.” Another wrote simply, “Copytech ROCKS!” Thanks to you, it does indeed.

Through your inspired work behind the scenes of Community Giving, MITAC, the Association of MIT Retirees and the Quarter Century Club, you make our campus more than a place to work or study. You make it a community.

The bridges you build across our campus and to our neighbors sustain and strengthen the Community Giving program, connecting MIT with those in need.

Through creative outreach – a new website and video, innovative mailers and the first-ever focused campaign – you have found important new pathways for communicating the impact of Community Giving and the Community Service Fund.

You embody the values of respect and service, always looking for ways to lift up those around you.

Making a better world starts at home. You make a better MIT, and you make MIT a better neighbor. Across the Institute and beyond, your talent and dedication shine bright.

In the wake of January’s executive order on immigration, through a days-long ordeal in uncharted legal territory, you advised and supported MIT’s senior leadership and international students and scholars, giving everyone involved the confidence to carry on.

When our stranded students finally arrived at Logan, Richelle was on hand to greet them, poised to share any last-minute wisdom to ensure their safe return to our community.

That same Friday, Dahlia finalized an amicus brief for a morning court hearing and readied other legal filings in case the students were detained.

Day or night, by text, email or phone, your willingness to listen patiently and graciously, to advise and offer support was invaluable.

One of the returning students said it best: “MIT was exceptional. I can now look back at this experience as positive rather than negative, because it showed the real value of MIT.” You were critical to that outcome.

You displayed otherworldly dedication, determination and heart in delivering for our students what they wanted most: a safe return to their studies, their friends and life at MIT.

No matter how daunting the assignment, or how uncertain the road ahead, when we turn to you for action, you deliver – again and again.

You are thoughtful, attentive to detail and determined. And you demand – diplomatically – the same of those around you.

Your ability to lead and collaborate has produced outstanding results – from the Institute-wide Task Force on the Future of Education to the Atlas Service Center to The Engine.

You have a knack for identifying opportunities to make the Institute stronger, and you always seem to pull the right levers to turn smart ideas into reality.

A trusted colleague and wise counselor, you are first on our speed dial when we think about starting an Institute-wide anything!

Your relentless pursuit of excellence drives us all to seek new ways to contribute to MIT’s mission. Please be patient with us! We are simply trying to keep up with you! And we are grateful for all you do.

The first question that came to our minds when we heard that you planned to retire was a simple one: “What the heck are we supposed to do now?!”

You are famous for assigning “homework” to your visitors. But you are a straight-A student, always prepared, informed and poised to offer sage advice.

You call it like you see it. Your honesty and candor make you a trusted and valued advisor. If we are looking for sugarcoated counsel, we look elsewhere!

You know when to offer tough love – and when to just be tough.

When members of our community have felt stranded on an island, you have lent them the sturdy ship of your empathy, perspective and optimism.

You have listened to us. And you have helped us listen to each other, with sympathy, humility, decency, respect and kindness.

Your dedication to the MIT community is legendary. Anytime, anywhere we need you, you are there. For that, we are deeply grateful.

You have led a League of Extraordinary Women with kindness, warmth and unwavering good humor.

Whether organizing language classes, clothing drives, receptions, book discussions, concerts or excursions, you have enriched our campus and contributed deeply to the life of the Institute.

Under your leadership, the Women’s League has personified the ideals of “One MIT,” simultaneously celebrating differences and cultivating common ground.

Through the Furniture Exchange, you have raised and donated $1 million to fund MIT student scholarships – a critical contribution to MIT’s mission.

For many on our campus, Cambridge is a world away from their families and friends. But thanks to you, many find that at MIT, they are home.

Your greatest gift is your commitment to bringing people together, but after 25 years of exceptional service, there can be no doubt: You are in a league of your own.