UNH Today

A longtime volunteer and a longstanding community organization will be recognized with the University of New Hampshire’s Granite State Awards for outstanding contributions to the state, the university has announced. The awards will be presented at UNH’s Commencement ceremonies in May.

Pauline Ikawa, former vice president of community development for TD Bank, will be honored for her long history of volunteer service to UNH and other organizations. UNH has been a central part of Ikawa’s life since she was a child spending time in her father’s biochemistry lab and joining the dinners with UNH students that her mother would host in their Durham home. 

Ikawa graduated from UNH in 1977 with a degree in botany and plant science. She spent most of her career working for TD Bank and retired in 2017 as vice president of community development.

In the years since her UNH graduation, she has generously given her time to volunteer pursuits for UNH, as well as to a range of other organizations. In recognition of her volunteerism, in 2014 she was awarded the David P. Goodwin Outstanding Neighbor Award, which is given by NeighborWorks of Southern New Hampshire to an individual who shows service and generosity to the community. 

In 2018, she joined the College of Life Science and Agriculture’s development board and served as chair through 2023. She is also a member of the UNH Foundation board of directors. Her family established the Miyoshi and Norma Ikawa Scholarship Fund at UNH, named after her parents. Ikawa will be honored at the COLSA commencement ceremony Sunday, May 19 at 4 p.m.

Waypoint, an independent, nonprofit agency dedicated to empowering people of all ages through an array of human services and advocacy, will also be honored. President and CEO Borja Alvarez de Toledo will accept the award on behalf of the organization at the College of Professional Studies commencement ceremony Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m.

Founded in 1850, Waypoint creates a social safety net for all who live in the New Hampshire. Finding solutions to problems through their dual roles as practitioners and advocates, Waypoint makes a positive, long-lasting impact that improves lives and communities through their array of services, including programs for children with developmental concerns or chronic health conditions, childcare, prenatal support, parent education/family empowerment, homeless youth services, home healthcare for older Americans and adults with disabilities and mental health counseling and family counseling. The organization also focuses on prevention services, through early childhood programs and family resource centers.

With 16 sites across the state, and more than 24 programs, Waypoint serves an average of 10,000 people a year. Built upon four pillars: Staff, Community, Solutions, and Impact, Waypoint’s staff is known for compassion, professionalism, and ingenuity, and continues to make a positive, long-lasting impact on the communities it serves.

UNH’s Commencement ceremonies will take place between Friday, May 17 and Sunday, May 19, 2024, in the Whittemore Center Arena, with the exception of the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law’s ceremony, which will take place in Concord’s White Park.