¾«¶«´«Ã½ students, faculty and staff who champion diversity and inclusion have been recognized for their dedication to the campus community.
The Advocate for Diversity Award honors individuals who raise awareness about a need, problem, or opportunity regarding issues of diversity and inclusion on campus. Winners should inspire others with their advocacy to ensure that all students, staff and faculty feel welcome, engaged, and empowered.
- Faculty Award: Dr. Angela McKinney
- McKinney’s nominator shared that she is the heart and soul of the Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (L-SAMP). Her enthusiasm for students helped inspire them to continue in the STEM field and helped almost 60 students to graduate from ¾«¶«´«Ã½. She is also the campus director for the HHMI IE3 grant for ‘Building institutional capacity for student belonging,’ a grant that focuses on neurodiversity and includes faculty and student workshops and a mentorship program.
- Staff Award: Raisa Gallegos
- Gallegos’s nominator said she has been raising awareness of food and resource insecurity on campus. She opened a food and hygiene pantry in her office in the Johnson Residence Hall. As a Prairie Wolf Pantry Board member, she created a partnership between the pantry and residential education staff to help increase the availability of resources.
- Student Award: Amarachi Chidi-Uneze
- Chidi-Uneze’s nominator shared that she is a reliable and confident student leader on campus. She is a representative of many diverse student organizations and is a peer assistant in the Residential Education program. She has a sensitive and inclusive approach to building community amongst her peers. She is an advocate for her peers.
Mary Butler Award recognizes a junior or senior in good academic standing who identifies as a student of color. Nominees should exude an enthusiasm to serve both the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and Lincoln communities and should be sensitive to and knowledgeable about campus needs. They demonstrate the ability to enrich the campus through extracurricular involvement.
- Award: Aliah Clarke
- Clarke’s nominator said Clarke’s commitment to the volleyball and track programs have contributed to their success and culture. She’s shown enthusiasm for serving ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and local community through a pair of cancer awareness events. She has also made an impact in young athletes in the Lincoln area through her work as a youth leader in volleyball summer camps and club tournaments. She is active in several campus organizations including being the president of the Black Student Union.