2026 Award Recipients

Science Olympiad is nationwide competition where high-school students compete in 23 events that include earth science, biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Designed to increase a student’s interest in STEM fields and provide recognition for outstanding achievement in team events, this is one of the biggest STEM outreach events of the year. On March 1, 2025, Ohio University proudly hosted its first annual Science Olympiad Invitational Tournament in over 30 years. Our mission is to showcase all that OHIO has to offer while cultivating STEM curiosity in the next generation of scientists, engineers, and problem solvers.

In my role, I mentor over one hundred undergraduate students each year in courses such as Public Speaking, where I emphasize dialogue, respect, and the importance of listening across difference. Beyond the classroom, I organize intercultural potlucks, connect international students with Athens families, and create digital service maps to help newcomers access essential university and city resources.

My leadership at OHIO focused on bringing students and alumni together through organizing homecoming decorations. Creating a space where students felt excited to contribute allowed the community to reflect on what makes OHIO meaningful, reinforcing a sense of belonging and pride across generations.

As an online student, I’ve learned that leadership at OHIO isn’t about being the loudest voice, it’s about being the most reliable one. My goal has been simple: make the people around me feel supported, capable, and proud to be Bobcats.

Through SSWA, I've been involved with community service efforts and have worked to maintain relationships within our community partners, so our involvement feels meaningful, not performative. My leadership is rooted in listening, following through, and caring about people as individuals.

Ella showed great leadership and initiate this year.  As a first year student she identified a need for more Artificial Intelligence awareness and education.  After working with professors in her engineering school she launched the OU artificial intelligence club. 

Leadership, to me, is rooted in service, advocacy, and the responsibility to create safer, more equitable systems. My leadership has contributed to the OHIO community through my work as a nurse leader, educator, and doctoral-prepared clinician committed to improving healthcare environments.

I have stood for freedom, justice, and liberty at Ohio University by creating spaces where students feel safe to express themselves and be respected for who they are.

While attending Ohio University Online, I had the opportunity to help build a community for my fellow veterans and military connected students who might feel far from campus. 

Alvin Scales is a standout student leader whose impact reaches far beyond the classroom. He founded Club Rising, a grassroots run club in Athens that brings people together to support underprivileged youth through community runs and fundraising for the Boys and Girls Club of America. 

My leadership has strengthened the OHIO community through student-centered advocacy, mentorship and safety initiatives. As a Peer Health Educator, I have led programs that are now annual staples of Suicide Prevention Week, created Sober Sips to provide inclusive spaces for sober-curious students and helped manage Narcan boxes across campus to promote harm reduction and overdose prevention. 

At the core of my leadership is a belief that community is one of the most important and most neglected parts of society. At Ohio University, I have worked to create spaces where students feel represented, listened to, and comfortable showing up as themselves.

My leadership is grounded in service and the belief that meaningful change happens through both action and advocacy. 

I founded the campus chapter of Remote Area Medical, which provides free medical, vision, and dental services to those in underserved and underinsured communities throughout the U.S.  

Over the past four years, I have used my leadership in as many areas as I could to positively contribute to the whole Ohio University ecosystem. It has been a privilege to uplift a generation of future journalists and advocate for pursuing personal avenues of joy. 

At my current volunteer internship with Health Recovery Services (HRS), I support individuals in the Athens community navigating substance use disorders, addiction, and co-occurring mental health challenges.

As an undergraduate student at the Russ College of Engineering, I completed 5 formative years in OU's Air Force ROTC commissioning program to kickstart my military career. In the years since graduation, I have reinvested in the OU community by providing mentorship and career guidance for other OU AFROTC alumni who are still present in my life through shared experiences in the Air Force.

Serving on executive boards for the Political Science Majors Association and Phi Alpha Delta since my freshman year has made me a go-to resource for students interested in adding a minor, studying abroad, writing an honor’s thesis, and more. 

My leadership at Ohio University is rooted in accountability, service and listening. Beyond the newsroom, I serve as a learning community leader for first-year students. In this role, leadership often looks quieter: listening, showing up and offering guidance during a time of transition. 

My leadership at Ohio University has focused on building inclusive, engaging spaces where students feel seen and supported. As Vice President of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board and the National Society of Black Engineers, I helped plan cultural and professional events that increased student engagement, strengthened cross organization collaboration, and amplified underrepresented voices on campus. 

My leadership at Ohio University has centered on advancing environmental stewardship, equity, and community engagement through service-learning, research, and campus leadership.

My leadership at Ohio University has been based on my goal of making sure that I leave an impact where students feel supported, understood, and are provided with resources that allows them to grow.

Through identifying unmet community needs and building systems that allow others to engage meaningfully in service rather than prioritizing personal power or status, my leadership at OHIO is grounded in servant leadership. 

I believe that to be a good leader, it is essential that you listen to the voices of those you are leading, whether you agree with them or not. I have contributed to the OHIO community by not only fulfilling my duties in leadership positions but also going above and beyond to support and promote participation in the organizations that I care deeply about. 

Serving as President of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board taught me that advocacy requires discomfort. Leading BSCPB brought moments that required me to be a bold unapologetic advocate.

SSWA engages in community work through intentional, relationship-based involvement rather than one-time service. Our organization participates in service-learning experiences connected to coursework, allowing the entire class to engage alongside community partners in meaningful ways.

Led by The Post, this program was a yearlong reporting initiative funded by the Solutions Journalism Network. Its purpose was to examine how communities in Southeast Ohio and West Virginia are responding to the opioid epidemic by reporting on evidence-based solutions, their effectiveness and their limitations. The project emphasized transparency, accountability and sustained community engagement rather than crisis-only coverage.