UofL Graduate School hosts Celebration of Excellence in Diversity ceremony

The 5th annual Celebration of Excellence in Graduate Diversity was held May 10 in the Student Activities Center, spotlighting the achievements of eight doctoral graduates, four students who reached doctoral candidacy and 28 master’s graduates from underrepresented minority groups.

“For the past four years each May, the Graduate School has held the Celebration of Excellence in Diversity recognition ceremony on campus, a space where we can recognize the triumphs and accomplishments of students of color, while also acknowledging the perseverance, willpower and hard work it takes to obtain an advanced degree,” said Tamekka Cornelius, director of graduate recruitment and diversity retention. 

Cornelius noted in her remarks to the audience of students, administrators, mentors, family members and friends that the groups’ accomplishments were especially meaningful on a campus where graduate students of color are just 22% of the student body, 12% of faculty and 16% of staff.

“The saying ‘If you can see it, you can achieve it’, is even more impactful here. And for that we celebrate you,” she said.

The following graduates and students were celebrated:

Masters Graduates

Tiffany Adams, MSSW

Karima Badouan, MEd

Khadija Boukhrys, MS

Jeremy Randall Boyd, MEng

Jericho Curry, MBA

Sami Dada, MBA

Taylor E Garrison, MSSW

Jessica J. Hampton, MBA

Porsha Hodges, MSSW

Ricco Hughes, MBA

Danielle Little, MS

Danial Malik, MPH

Patrick F. McKinney, MEd

Sydney L. Miller, MEd

Janae Mitchell, MPH

Erica Denise Neal, MEd

Oluwatomisin Abisola Ogungbenle, MA

Brooke Raglin, MSSW

CeCe Railey, MPH

Maurice Nicholson Rodgers, MPA

Kulwant Singh, MBA

Cydni Sloan, MA

Demondrea Starnes, MAT

Brittany Lashae Tillman, MSSW

Chanel Watkins, MSSW

Jordan White, MPA

Kinithi M K Wickramaratne, MS

Aggie Williams, MS

Doctoral Graduates

Shamsudeen Abubakar, Engineering

Nana Ama Aya Erzuah Bullock, Public Health Sciences: Specialization in Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences

Raymond Green, Education & Human Development

Trinidad Jackson, Public Health & Information Sciences

Victory Osezua, Public Health & Information Sciences

Hazel Ozuna, Medicine

W. Denae Powell, Pan-African Studies

Tytianna Nikia Maria Ringstaff, Curriculum and Instruction

Doctoral Candidates

Olalekan Adepoju, Bernard Louis Adjei, Taylor Garrison and J. E. Young.