Delila Owens, assistant professor of counselor education at Wayne State University's College of Education, has been named the recipient of the 2005 \'Ohana Honors Award from the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ). Owens was honored for her outstanding involvement in the counseling field and her fight for social justice.  

"I am honored to receive this award, particularly from this organization. I am a strong advocate for equality for all," Owens said. "I have always felt like my calling is to be a voice for those society deem as voiceless."

Owens created and implemented the African American Awareness Club at Eastern High School in Lansing, Mich. She also volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House; participated in the Americorps Vista Program; is a member of the American Counseling Association's Public Advocacy and Support Committee and was appointed in 2004 to the Michigan Board of Counseling by Governor Jennifer Granholm. She is currently working on a documentary on poverty.

She is also involved in the following professional associations: Michigan Counseling Association, North Central Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors, American Counseling Association, Association of Michigan School counselors and the Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors.

The CSJ \'Ohana Honors awards were created in 1994 by Michael D\'Andrea and Judy Daniels, counselor education faculty at the University of Hawai\'i-Manoa. Awards are given out annually by the CSJ at the American

Counseling Association spring conference. The awards honor individuals in counseling who affirm diversity and advocate for social justice in the spirit of nine elements of the indigenous Hawaiian concept of \'Ohana (or "extended family"): caring, humility, intelligence, generosity, integrity and honesty, unconditional love, spiritual power, courtesy and courage. CSJ is a division of the American Counseling Association.

My mission is to help my students embrace professional involvement and social justice advocacy. At some point, helping professionals must understand how to apply their skills to improve the quality of life for others," Owens added. "My mission is to educate my students on how to do this".

Owens received her bachelor's of Social Work degree from Ferris State University, master's from Central Michigan University and Ph.D. at Michigan State University.

She will receive the CSJ \'Ohana Honors Award on Saturday, April 9, at the CSJ/ACA spring conference in Atlanta, GA.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.