Citizen of the Month presented by the New Carlisle Rotary Club

In January, 2020, the New Carlisle Rotary Club awarded me with Citizen of the Month. I was so excited to express my thanks at this event, as I was eager to share how this award relates to my field of study at Ohio State: City and Regional Planning. Cities start with people. Architects, engineers, and urban planners can create beautifully planned, gorgeous cities, but with no residents, the city is not a city. Citizens are the building blocks to cities, communities, and societies; to be recognized as citizen of the month was such an honor as a student who would go on to study how a place is only as strong as the people who occupy it.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Peacemaker Award presented by Clark State Community College

In January, 2020, Clark State Community College presented one senior from each high school in Clark county with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peacemaker award. I was honored to learn that my classmates voted me as the most worthy recipient. I attended the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration luncheon at Clark State, where I listened to wonderful speakers from our community who uplift and enhance Clark county each day. The main guest speaker of the event was Stephen Francis, who spoke to the luncheon’s theme of “What Would King Do?” After listening to Mr. Francis, hearing from our minority-owned business owners, and learning from Clark county public officials, I felt truly inspired to do more with this award that I was receiving. The Peacemaker award was awarded to me on the grounds that I share in common many of the traits that Martin Luther King, Jr. himself embodied. As I previously mentioned, I felt so incredibly honored, but also so inadequate for such a recognition. Regardless of my self-doubt, receiving this award holds me accountable. After the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (among so many other Black Americans), I found myself reconsidering the topic of the luncheon: What would King do? This summer, I contacted my old high school and met with my former principal and vice principal to discuss what actions my alma mater must be taking to uproot anti-Black racism from the school. Since the meeting, the school has created a unity club for students, a social justice committee for faculty, found new (more accurate) history text books and materials, and started different initiatives around the school for diversity and inclusion. I owe all my progress to receiving this award when I was a senior in high school; it has shaped my vision and strengthened my desire to fight for justice.