An advocate andfriend of students,community

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This is the sixth of an eight-part series profiling the 2016 Outstanding Women of Clinton County. Tickets for the luncheon event — to be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 5 at the Roberts Centre — are $25 (cash or check accepted; make check payable to “OWCC”). Journal’s office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. If you have any questions, please call 937-382-2574. Reservations will be accepted through March 1. Julie Isphording will be the guest speaker. Julie ran the first ever women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984; she is an award-winning syndicated radio host, national keynote speaker and magazine columnist.

To quote one of several persons who nominated Sigrid Bonner Solomon to the Outstanding Women of Clinton County class of 2016, “Her selfless commitment to the welfare of others is exemplary, serving as a role model for us all.”

She has rushed to the hospital at students’ sudden illnesses, and been present at the birth of single students’ babies. She has attended court hearings on behalf of students and their parents when they could not be present, and has taken students into her home over holidays when they could not afford to go home. She has bought clothes for students and their children, and has babysat the children of students who are working or attending classes.

Indeed, Solomon is a major and much-loved influence at her college, in her community, and in her church, and with regard to all that she gives of herself, the phrase “above and beyond” is no exaggeration.

As Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs at Wilmington College, it is with deeply personal commitment that she helps students adapt to campus life, stay safe on campus, and succeed in their educational careers.

As Title IX Coordinator, she has secured a federal grant of more than $114,000 for programming and advocacy services in support of survivors of sexual assault. She also facilitates community participation in many campus activities, including the annual MLK Day Celebration, Women’s History Month programs, and the Issues and Artists Series.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Solomon won a scholarship to Fayetteville Manlius High School, where she graduated with honors. She went on to earn a BS in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a Master of Education degree from East Carolina University.

Before joining Wilmington College’s minority recruitment program in 2007, she was Student Life Associate at North Carolina Wesleyan College and Site Director at its Seymour Johnson AFB branch, Assistant Dean of Students at Emory and Henry College, and Dean of Students at Southern Vermont College. Throughout that period, one of her main concerns was foster-parent education, having herself served as formal or informal foster parent to many.

Though not native to Clinton County, Solomon has embraced it with open arms. Since joining the Wilmington A.M. Rotary Club in 2008, she has served that organization as Community Service Chair, Vocation Chair, Four-Way Test and Vocational Scholarships Chair, and President (2011-2012). In these positions she has helped support local needs through such organizations as Your Father’s Kitchen and the Free Clinic. Appointed Assistant District Governor for Rotary District #6670 in 2013, she continues in that capacity today.

Solomon has been a board member and vice president of the Clinton County Leadership Institute, which recognized her as Leader of the Year in 2013. She has served as chair for both the Clinton County Free Clinic Board and the Wilmington Cardboard City Committee, raising funds to benefit the Clinton County Homeless Shelter.

Her activities in the Cornerstone Baptist Church include leadership of Students Witnessing a Great God, a youth group dedicated to community service.

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Solomon
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