The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs (OVPDEMA) is excited to announce the 2019-2020 recipients of the OVPDEMA scholarships. Recognizing student excellence across OVPDEMA’s cultural and academic centers, the OVPDEMA scholarships represent the intersection of philanthropy and supporting diverse student success at Indiana University.
"Each year, our OVPDEMA scholars represent the very best of what makes the IU community so special,” said James C. Wimbush, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, dean of The University Graduate School and Johnson Chair for Diversity and Leadership. “In their own ways, each of our scholarship recipients have demonstrated a track record of excellence that has brought them success and greatly enriched our diverse and welcoming community."
Spread across OVPDEMA’s academic and cultural centers, the OVPDEMA scholarships recognize individuals from all walks of life at Indiana University. Recognizing student excellence, honoring leadership and helping alleviate barriers to a degree, the scholarships have a transformative impact on the lives of the students that receive them.
Talia Schiff, a junior at IU Bloomington studying Elementary and Special Education from Northfield, Ill., is one of the students recognized by this year’s scholarships. The 2019-2020 recipient of the Wilma A. and Charles E. Harry, IV Family Scholarship, Schiff has been recognized as a high-achieving student in the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program whose work is reflective of the scholarship’s goals.
For the first three years of her college experience, Schiff said that she often needed to work multiple part-time jobs to help afford tuition. However, being awarded the Wilma A. and Charles E. Harry, IV Family Scholarship will allow her to focus entirely on her academic studies, especially as she prepares to begin student teaching in the fall of 2019.
“This scholarship will provide me the opportunity to focus on educating the next generation of students without the concern of finding means to support the price of out-of-state tuition,” Schiff said.
The OVPDEMA scholarships are also remarkable in their representation of a large and active community of donors committed to supporting diverse student success. With many of the OVPDEMA scholarships supporting students from historically underserved communities, donors to the scholarships help ensure student success and, in doing so, make valuable contributions to the diverse and inclusive environment that is a hallmark of Indiana University.
One of the donors who makes the OVPDEMA scholarships possible is Joon Park, chief operating officer of Investment Management at Alyeska Investment Group and 1998 graduate of IU Bloomington. By supporting the Joon Park scholarship, Park creates the opportunity for one undergraduate a year to be awarded $1,000 to help cover costs associated with attending or presenting at a conference.
“It has been a great honor to support IU student leaders through the Joon Park Student Leadership Experience Fund,” Park said. “I hope that this year's recipient will gain valuable real world insights during their internship and apply their knowledge to give back to the IUB community through advocacy and leadership.”
The 2019-2020 OVPDEMA scholars include:
- Access to Excellence Scholarship
2018-2019
Araceli Flores
Sophomore, Public Affairs
Jayla French
Junior, Neuroscience
Preston Gilts
Junior, Psychology
Marquis Glinsey
Senor, Psychology
Krishna Pathak
Senior, SPEA Law and Public Policy
Courtney Vaughn
Senior, Psychology
Elijah White
Senior, Finance
Kierra Williams
Freshman, Contemporary Dance
2019-2020
Kynton Grays
Incoming Freshman, Chemistry - Carrie Parker Taylor Scholarship
2018-2019
Marlyatou Sow
Senior, International Studies
2019-2020
Alee’yia Kirkwood
Sophomore, Psychology
- Charlie and Jeanetta Nelms Bloomington Campus Scholarship
2018-2019
Aumunique Page
Junior, Biology and Spanish
2019-2020
To be awarded - Hannah Wilson Memorial Service Scholarship
2019-2020
To be awarded - James D. Fielding Student Advocacy and Leadership Travel Scholarship
2018-2019
Alex Jolliff
Senior, Nonprofit Management
Charnita Johnson
Senior, Social Work
Dillon Lyons
Graduate Student, Supply Chain Management
Brandon Merritt
Graduate Student, Speech and Hearing Sciences
Javiier Cardona Otero
Graduate Student, Arts Education in Curriculum and Instruction
Sydney Ziegler
Senior, Media Studies - Wilma A and Charles E Harry, IV Family Scholarship
2019-2020
Talia Schiff
Senior, Special Education - Jeffrey Haynes Hillis LGBTQ+ Scholarship
2018-2019
Emily Miles
Senior, Media Studies
2019-2020
Kyle Taylor
Incoming Freshman, Psychology - Judy and Inez Reece LGBTQ+ Wellness Scholarship
2018-2019
Clark Davis
Graduate Student, Public Health - Joon Park Student Leadership Scholarship
2018-2019
Margaret Suh
Senior, International Studies - Payne-Stone Scholarship
2018-2019
Sarah Shirley
Senior, Secondary English Education
Tislam Swift
Graduate Student, Voice Performance - Reverend Dr. Ernest D. Butler Humanitarian Scholarship
2018-2019
Justin Ehlers
Freshman, Management
Jordan Lynton
Graduate Student, Anthropology
Stephanie Mokube
Freshman, Political Science
Jelena Nguyen
Sophomore, Computer Science - Won-Joon Yoon Scholarship
2019-2020
Nyla Lee
Junior, Community Health
Suparna Bose
Graduate Student, Literacy, Culture and Language Education
For more information on OVPDEMA scholarships, visit the OVPDEMA website.