Butler, Carrion chosen as fall 2025 Values in Action Award recipients

Selected from nominees across campus, Butler and Carrion embody the university's values of belonging, excellence, flourishing, integrity, respect and service.

Shanay Butler (left) and Paulina Carrion (right) were selected as recipients of the Values in Action Award for the fall 2025 semester. (Photos by Stephen Salpukas)

The Values in Action Awards recognize leaders on the William & Mary campus who embody the university's values of belonging, excellence, flourishing, integrity, respect and service. These awards, established by two anonymous donors with private funds, are awarded in the fall and spring semesters, with individuals receiving $2,500.

Selected from nominees across the university, staff recipients for the fall 2025 semester are Shanay Butler, administrator and fiscal coordinator for the Department of English and Linguistics Program, and Paulina Carrion, teaching professor of Hispanic studies and Hispanic Language House advisor for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

Student organization award winners may be found on the Student Leadership Development website. Prior staff and faculty award winners can be found on the president's website. Butler and Carrion will be recognized and honored during Commencement Weekend in May.

Shanay Butler

As she describes it, Butler does "a little bit of everything." Revitalizing fiscal workflows, managing hotel accommodations, covering tax analysis: Butler can handle any and every task assigned to her to ensure the English department is up to date on all its financial processes.

Starting her career at William & Mary in 2010, Butler has been vital to English and linguistics, aiding in the transition to Workday, serving on College of Arts & Sciences search committees and being a welcoming presence for new members of her team.

"Shanay is warm, welcoming, collegial and always willing to help others. She has many different duties under her official job umbrella - and for two different departments/programs - which she handles with both efficiency and grace," wrote Erin Webster, associate professor of English. "She is kind and patient and will go out of her way in order to make it possible for others to thrive in their own work."

Butler has been part of the William & Mary community for as long as she can remember. Her aunt worked in human resources on campus, so she was regularly on campus and has grown to cherish the relationships she has formed.

"When we just stop and take a moment to look at this point, that means more than anything," she said, when reflecting on how the English department has evolved. "We run out and support (our students), and I don't think you can get that anywhere else. You can have fun, get your stuff accomplished - it's a win."

Butler sees various rewards in her work, including hiring student assistants and watching them as they mature through their projects in the department.

"I like seeing their wheels turn, and I like building relationships with them and other students across campus," she said.

Paulina Carrion

Learning a foreign language isn't just about proper pronunciation, Carrion argues. It's about immersing her students in a culture, expanding what they consider to be their worldview.

Carrion began her career as a teacher for the deaf in Ecuador. She found that learning sign language turned her "whole world upside-down" and became a catalyst for her interest in language. Moving to the United States around 26 years ago, she began teaching Spanish in Massachusetts and Wisconsin before moving to Williamsburg with her husband. Working at William & Mary for the past 13 years, she has juggled various roles but has settled primarily on working with fellows who come through the language house.

One thing she emphasizes in her class is variety. Never wanting to fall into a dull routine, Carrion regularly changes her curriculum each year to keep both herself and her students engaged and curious about the work at hand. Currently, she's introduced art and crafts into class, having students make piñatas and Guatemalan worry dolls.

"I want to make sure that students understand that learning a language is not just conjugating verbs," she said. "I try to put these nuggets of culture in every single class to understand I am (also) speaking a foreign language and I went through the process too."

Carrion's dedication to her students was reflected greatly in her nominations for the Values in Action Award.

"Professor Carrion exemplifies William & Mary's values in her work. Language classes can be difficult, especially for introductory students who are unfamiliar with learning other languages," wrote Kimberlee Tozier '26, a Hispanic studies student and teaching assistant. "Professor Carrion strives to create a learning environment in which students feel empowered and capable of learning another language. … She adapts and develops her teaching style appropriately to the classroom environment to ensure that the students are still learning, even when they are impacted by all of the other aspects going on in their lives."

Carrion sees the Values in Action Award as confirmation that her approach to teaching is an effective one.

"I think it's validating," she said. "I give a lot in my classes, but also in the community in general. I think that because I come from a country where community is very important. … Not only with students but with faculty and staff, I try to make them feel as welcome as possible."

William Oster, Communications Specialist

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