Gov. Mike Pence will recognize four people for their service and commitment to the community, including Lake Superior Judge Calvin D. Hawkins, at an event honoring the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the Indiana Statehouse.

Hawkins, who has presided in East Chicago since 2007, encourages students to stay in school through the “It’s Cool to Stay in School Program.” He also led the effort to rename the local courthouse in East Chicago after retired Lake Circuit Judge Lorenzo Arredondo, the first Latino judge to serve in Indiana. Hawkins told Indiana Lawyer in 2010 that the renaming is “a statement we can give to young people and others that he’s a symbol of us, of what someone can become in this country.”

The 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Indiana Holiday Celebration brings together more than 500 students, state employees, government officials, human rights agencies and residents. The program, which is free and open to the public, will include a keynote address by former Indianapolis Colts player Gary Brackett and remarks by Pence.

The other honorees are Shanel Poole, founder and president of G.L.A.M.; Wendy Robinson, superintendent of Fort Wayne Public Schools; and Mia G. Gjeldum, junior at Lake Central High School in St. John, winner of the MLK Art, Writing and Multimedia Contest for high school students.

For more information on the program, visit the Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s website.