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������’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, in partnership with Campus Life Services, hosted its Diversity Champion and Pathway Retention Awards ceremony on April 19. 

Cassie Glenn, assistant professor of clinical psychology, won the overall Diversity Champion Award for her work in the Psychology Department and research dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of youth.

"Our Diversity Champion of Champions’ contributions to the Monarch Nation are astounding,” the Monarch Task Force for Inclusive Excellence wrote. “As Co-Chair of the Psychology Department’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belongingness Committee, she works to create a safe and inclusive environment within the department to ensure faculty belonging and retention. Likewise, her duties with the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology aim to develop programs and policies that support and encourage diversity in the clinical doctoral program, to encourage awareness of and understanding for individuals from diverse backgrounds, and to promote fair and equitable treatment for all members of the department.”

The Diversity Champion Award recognizes and celebrates individuals who encourage and advance the principles of equity, inclusion and diversity through their works and deeds on campus and throughout Hampton Roads.

The 2023 Diversity Champions were: 

• Jori Beck
• Blaizen Bloom
• Courtney Gipson
• Lee Golembiewski
• Emily Goodman-Scott
• Saige Hill
• Kristal Kinloch-Taylor
• Ann Kumm
• Ikram Mokdadi
• Kevin Muchiri
• Dominique Pierce
• Natalia Pilato
• Stacie Ringleb
• Jenn Sloggie
• Priya Vashist
• Michele Weigle 
• Ingrid Whitaker
• Mitchell Williams
• Crystal Willis
• Rachawan "Aey" Wongtrirat

Seven students received Pathway Retention Awards, which are aimed at the retention and matriculation of diverse students attending ������ and seek to recognize the value that they bring to the campus community. Students are asked to write an essay explaining what visible equity means to them, and what role they play in creating safe, inclusive, diverse spaces on campus.

Students are awarded a specific meal plan as an extension of their on-campus dining plan and/or an ������ Bookstore Award which helps to cover the cost of textbooks. Since 2015, more than $55,000 has been given to students through the award. 

"We know that when students succeed and graduate from ������, it has a profound impact on their families, their earning potential over the course of their lifetime and their ability to plan and invest in their personal development," said John Wiley, assistant for diversity initiatives in the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

This 2023 Pathway Retention Award recipients are:

• Taaron Albergottie
• Florenda Amponsaa
• Xavier Bervine
• Blaizen Bloom
• Brett Darlington
• Braileigh Modica
• Breoyna Williams