The DEI Champion Spotlight features Rowan community members leading the way in DEI initiatives across campus. Champions featured in the spotlight serve as a great example of how DEI can be reflected throughout the campus and within our broader communities. This month, we’re excited to highlight the accomplishments of students who were awarded and recognized at the DEI Summit. Established in 2014, Rowan’s Excellence in Diversity Awards celebrate outstanding contributions by students, faculty, and professional staff who address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in creative ways. Please join us in celebrating the work and commitment of the following students at Rowan University!
Michael Nash - Excellence in Scholarship Diversity
This award is in recognition of Michael Nash's scholarship, specifically for a paper pertaining to Black activism and the Black church. Based on that paper, he participated in a podcast focused on the connection between Black activism and the Black church while also highlighting his social justice and inclusion work on campus.
Michael Nash
Sanaz Shahi - Excellence in Diversity in Social Activism
This award is in recognition of Sanaz Shahi's activism in raising awareness, amplifying her voice and that of others, and persistently taking action for The Women, Life, and Freedom Movement in global solidarity with Iranian women and girls.
Sanaz Shahi
Asia Todd - Excellence in Diversity in Performance
This award is in recognition of Asia Todd's performance as Maggie Lena Walker in The Penny Executive Project held on
campus in February 2023. In this one-person play, Asia portrayed America's first Black woman to charter a bank and be a bank president. Additionally, the character founded a newspaper, advocated for women's rights, and fought for education reform in the Black community.
Asia Todd
Sam Hiester, Hallel Jackson, Jeff Medley, Cristian Osorio Perez and Aiden Pells - Excellence in Diversity in Social Activism
This award is in recognition of these student staff members of The Penny Executive Project held on campus in February 2023. These students make important contributions to the production through their technical, research, management, and production skills.
Hallel Jackson