MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College Department of Athletics announced Jaime Orrego, Ph.D and Daniel Forbes as the January 2020 "Hawks Soar Higher" Award selections on Friday.

All-Time Award Recipients

Debuting in the Fall of 2017, the special award was created to allow the Department of Athletics to recognize individuals that are instrumental to the College's efforts to offer a first-class, transformational student-athlete experience. The awards are issued each month during the academic year to two individuals employed by the institution outside of athletics.

Recipients will be colleagues, faculty, staff or administrators who advocate for Saint Anselm student-athletes and go above and beyond in their contributions each day on the Hilltop.

Dr. Orrego, an Associate Professor of Spanish, has been a part of the Hilltop community for almost 11 years. An avid supporter of Hawks athletics and the many student-athletes on campus, he can regularly be seen in the stands at home sporting events and enjoys the day-to-day interactions with Anselmians.

"I am honored and humbled to have been chosen for the Hawks Soar Higher award," said Dr. Orrego. "I enjoy supporting our student athletes here at the college. I understand how they need to balance a demanding athletic schedule with a rigorous academic life – I like seeing them succeed in everything they are involved here at Saint Anselm."

Forbes, who started at the College as a full-time faculty member in social work, transitioned to a faculty/administrator role in 1989 when the Meelia Center was launched. As the Director, he manages a professional staff of four and a student staff of over 95 individuals. The Center supports over 450 engaged students who are connected to over 50 non-profit agencies.

"Student-athletes have always been a big part of the Meelia Center's response to community needs," said Forbes. "They are a major presence at our one-day service events and they often send the entire team out to selected sites where they make a positive community impact.

"A number of brave athletes have accepted leadership roles at the center and successfully balanced work, sport and academics. The coaches and athletics staff play a major role in encouraging Saint Anselm athletes to make community an important part of their Saint Anselm experience," concluded Forbes.