LEWISTON — Michelle Vazquez Jacobus, a faculty member at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, has been selected as a finalist for the Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement for Early Career Faculty.

Vazquez Jacobus is an assistant professor for the social and behavioral sciences and the leadership and organizational studies programs at USM LAC where, through 2010, she was also the coordinator of community service-learning. She draws from a range of experiences as a lawyer and social worker. She founded USM LAC’s mentoring program, the Lewiston Youth Empowerment Program, which she has directed over seven semesters.

In collaboration with Sandcastle Clinical and Educational Services, she has directed the interdisciplinary Building Castles Together program, which uses art and culture to build relationships and resiliency. Vazquez Jacobus is also a founding member of the Downtown Education Collaborative, the higher education community engagement collaborative through which a number of interdisciplinary community projects, such as the Local Food for Lewiston community food assessment and the Promoting Academic Success after-school homework help program have been conducted.

The annual Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement for Early Career Faculty is a national award recognizing a faculty member who connects their teaching, research and service to community engagement.

The recipient of the award will be announced in late July, and the award will be presented at the 17th annual Conference of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, which will be held from Oct. 9-11 at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.