Audrey-Marie H. Winn Recipient of Emma Locke Award

Undergraduate Audrey-Marie H. Winn is the 2015 recipient of the Emma Locke Award. Established in 1946 by Charles A. Locke in memory of his mother, the award is presented annually to a graduating Pitt senior in recognition of high scholarship, character, and devotion to the ideals of the University. 

Winn, who is triple majoring in Chinese, philosophy, and English writing in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, plans to go to law school after graduation and focus on labor law. While in law school, she would like to analyze corporate social responsibility issues and the cultural, legal, and political factors surrounding labor injustice. Winn hopes that her education will prepare her for a career related to international law, global labor policy, and workers’ rights advocacy. Ultimately, she thinks that she would like to work for the United Nation’s International Labour Organization.

“Audrey-Marie is an extraordinary student, activist, and leader. Her outstanding intellect and commitment to the common good make Ms. Winn most befitting of the Locke Award,” said University Honors College Dean Edward Stricker, who has provided guidance and support for many of Winn’s academic endeavors. “Audrey-Marie is not only a remarkable student but also a remarkable human being who has the talent and determination to take on the most difficult battles and successfully advocate for the rights of underrepresented and disadvantaged people.”

A native of Pine Grove, Pa., Winn has been actively engaged in issues related to global humanitarianism throughout her academic career at Pitt. In 2014, she received the Mary Ellen Callahan Research Award from the University Honors College, which enabled her to work in Philadelphia in the American Civil Liberties Union legal department. While there, she worked to ensure that the rights of litigants with limited English proficiency were being protected in the Pennsylvania court system. That same summer, she also went to London on the London Field Studies Scholarship to conduct research on a large-scale project focusing on the history of corporate espionage in the United Kingdom. In the summer of 2013, she conducted research with migrant workers and studied Mandarin dialects in Chengdu, China, through a 2013 Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. 

Winn has also worked as a legal-services intern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and served briefly as a translator for The Carter Center. She currently serves as a policy-analyst intern at the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization. Within the organization, she works on the Anti-Sweatshop Project, where her duties include investigating corporate fraud at the international level and translating factory workers’ testimonials and field reports.  

In addition, Winn has been involved in community-engagement projects throughout the Pittsburgh region. Through a University Honors College Brackenridge Undergraduate Fellowship, she has examined the effects of corporate withdrawal on employment opportunities in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood and developed an afterschool writing program in the city’s Faison elementary school, where her students published a book of their writings. As a tutor for the Jumpstart reading program for three years, she assisted youths in developing their writing and reading-comprehension skills. She also shares her love of writing by tutoring Pitt students who are non-native English speakers. 

On Pitt’s campus, Winn has led the Student Government Board Judicial Committee, served as the executive board service coordinator and academic chair for the National Residence Hall Honorary, contributed as a member of the University Honors College Student Advisory Council, and worked as the editor for the Blue and Gold Society’s newsletter.

In 2014, Winn was granted the G. Alec Stewart Student Achievement Award, which recognizes Pitt undergraduates who best symbolize the values of the University Honors College. Her other honors and distinctions include the 2013 Iris Marion Young Award for Political Engagement from Pitt’s Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program and a scholarship from The Heinz Endowments.