The Edith Lesley Wolfard Award is named for the founder of Lesley University, and the recipient is chosen by a vote of undergraduate faculty and administrators across Art + Design, Liberal Arts & Business, Education, and Mental Health & Well-Being. This award is given to a graduating senior who has achieved academic excellence and has consistently demonstrated qualities of leadership within and beyond the Lesley community. The award recipient has exhibited a commitment to lifelong learning and professional excellence and the promise of a future best exemplifying the Lesley ideal.
The 2025 recipient is Raine Snyder. Snyder first discovered Lesley University and its expressive arts therapy program when she was 14 years old. “Growing up disabled and chronically ill,” she says, “I found strong sense of comfort, stability, and peace within the arts; at the same time, the arts also helped me find my voice.”
Snyder began Lesley University’s dual degree program in her junior year, allowing her to begin earning her master’s in clinical mental health counseling while still earning her undergraduate degree. She’s not done—Snyder fully intends to return to Lesley for her Ph.D in Expressive Therapies. She plans to work with children and neurodiverse adolescents, as well as young and older adults.