Mary Lawn of North Wales was honored with the Tender Courage Award during Gwynedd-Mercy College's commencement exercises. Lawn has served as a staff member in the college's admissions office since 1989. As a lifelong learner, she earned degrees from Gwynedd-Mercy College in 1994 and 1997.
The Tender Courage Award was established in 1993 to honor Sister Isabelle Keiss, RSM, who served as the third president of Gwynedd-Mercy College for 22 years. The award is named for a book Sister Isabelle co-authored about the life of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. Each year, the Tender Courage Award is presented to a Gwynedd-Mercy College administrator or staff member who exemplifies the ideals of Mercy and the mission of the college. Lawn personifies tender courage in her daily life as a colleague, a wife, and a mother of 11 children, several of whom are Gwynedd-Mercy College alumni.