The P. J. and Hilda W. Hill Award were established from a gift from P. J. Hill, a 1920 graduate of Indiana University. The $5000 award is presented to the outstanding senior on the IU Bloomington campus who has done the most to “better race relationships on the IU campus” during their undergraduate career.
For 2022, we would like to honor Kandace Rippy and Nichole Flowers with the P.J. and Hilda W. Hill Award for supporting and enhancing diversity and inclusion through their work at Indiana University.
Nichole Flowers
Nichole is a Hudson and Holland Scholar, a Groups Scholar, and a student athlete on the track and field team. She will be graduating from The School of Public Health with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science.
Nichole takes pride in serving on the executive board of IU’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In this role, she supervises all of IU Athletic’s Diversity and Inclusion affinity groups, such as Hoosiers Out Loud, Women of Impact, Global Hoosiers, HER, and MOVE (Men of Valor Excelling). She also serves on the executive board of HER, a student-athlete group dedicated to to providing a safe place for women of color in IU athletics. As an executive board member of the IU Athletics’ Diversity and Inclusion Council, she focused her efforts on implementing and creating change within IU Athletics to make it more diverse and inclusive. Nichole has been awarded the IU NAACP Allyson Felix Award. which highlights a female student athlete’s contributions to the Black community at IU. Nichole’s impact through sports granted her the IU Athletic Spirit, Award which honors student athletes who demonstrate a strong desire and commitment to excellence in team leadership, community service, and personal development.
Acknowledgments
Nichole wanted to recognize the many outstanding professors, coaches, and colleagues here at Indiana University that supported her and challenged her to reach new heights:
Thank you to my coaches for always holding me to high expectations. Thank you to Lisa and Sam for pushing me to get involved in the Excellence Academy. Thank you to my teammates and friends for supporting me and believing in me.”
Kandace Rippy
Kandace is a Groups Scholar, and has received both the Groups Scholars Program Peer Advisor of the Year Award and the 2021 Groups Scholars Program G’18 Student of the Year Award. She is earning a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Human Organization from the College of Arts and Sciences.
As a member of the Dean’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Kandace sought to assist in broadening and deepening IU’s commitment and its efforts on matters that impact diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice across campus. In this role, she has committed to engaging and strengthening the lines of communication between IU’s diversity and inclusion administration and IU faculty, staff, and students. Kandace’s involvement in the Black Student Union allowed her to explore new ways to unify Black students on campus. Kandace has also become a bright student leader through her work as a Peer Health and Wellness Educator for the IU Student Health Center, a Groups Peer Advisor, and an Ambassador for the Groups Scholars Program. Kandace used her voice impressively as a reporter for Black Voices on IDS News and served as the Director of Student Rights within the IU Student Government.
Acknowledgments
Kandace found her support system both in her family and in the IU community. She said:
I am eternally grateful to those who believed in me and believed that I was most qualified for this award. I want to thank you for allowing me to end this journey in celebration. I am very blessed!”
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