The Women’s Center honored 33 notable Kent State women Tuesday night in the second annual Mothers, Mentors and Muses Ceremony.

The purpose of the ceremony was to raise money for the Women’s Resource Center scholarship foundation, while also honoring notable women at Kent State, said Amanda Roder, project coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center. Roder said faculty, staff and students nominated women whom they feel have served as mothers, mentors or muses.

Judy Devine, emeritus professor and retired senior associate athletic director, and Eboni Pringle, executive director of student learning and success, both gave speeches at the event. Both women were honored nominees from last year’s ceremony.

Devine said in order to be a mother, mentor or muse, a woman must have a strong level of caring for her “mentee.”

“The event really gave the university a chance to recognize unsung heroes,” Devine said. “We could all progress much faster in life if we could all have a mentor.”

Two students received $500 scholarships from money raised by ticket sales and auctions at the event.

Amy Quillin, associate director of Student Accessibility Services, said she envisioned the original concept for the event. She said her initial idea was to have a ceremony called “Memories of Our Mothers.”

“It would be to honor how our mothers impact who we are and what we become,” she said.

When Quillin went on a retreat with the Women’s Resource Center’s Advisory Board during the summer of 2009, she said the board liked her idea and expanded it into the Mothers, Mentors and Muses ceremony.

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected]