EVVY Awards Announce Alumni and Student Awards of Distinction

The EVVY Awards announced this 2020’s recipients of its Alumni and Student Awards of Distinction. Both recipients will be receiving and accepting their award during the virtual show on May 8.

This year’s Student Award of Distinction goes to Yueming (Alison) Qu, a senior Theatre BFA major graduating in May. Throughout her Emerson career, Qu has made an enormous impact on Emerson’s campus through her work in the arts and in the Asian American community.

She is the co-founder of CHUANG Stage, the first Mandarin Chinese Theatre Community of Emerson College, producing transcultural theatre. By establishing this organization, she was able to diversify theater at Emerson and allow more unique voices to be heard and stories to be told. Now three semesters in, and having been authorized by Student Government Association for one semester, CHUANG Stage is a growing community of Asian American artists that is set to thrive at Emerson now and in the future.

A passionate and energetic leader, Qu has truly distinguished herself as a student that goes above and beyond to create the change she wishes to see in the Emerson community.

This year’s Alumni Award of Distinction will be presented to Keto Shimizu ’07. Shimizu is a comic book and television writer and producer. Currently, she is the Executive Producer for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. She is also known for her great contributions in writing and producing for The CW’s Arrowverse and her work on the North American adaptation of Being Human. At Emerson, she was very active in many film and TV organizations, including the EVVY Awards. Shimizu oversaw the rejuvenation of NBS, taking the membership from eight to 80 people in a year. That same year she created a shadowing program for mentoring younger students through the annual NBS narrative. Shimizu continues to do amazing work out in LA and is kept busy with her two young children.