A multicultural student organization dedicated to raising awareness about issues of racial and ethnic diversity in higher education recently received one of the University of Rhode Island’s top awards for leadership.
The Multicultural Unity and Student Involvement Council (M.U.S.I.C.) received the A. Robert Rainville Team Excellence Award on Tuesday, April 11, at a ceremony in the Memorial Union. M.U.S.I.C was one of five finalists for the award, chosen from a field of more than 40 campus groups.
M.U.S.I.C. represents student organizations affiliated with the University’s Multicultural Student Services Center. For the past three years, M.U.S.I.C has led a student-run annual conference, “Diversifying Individuals Via Education” (DIVE RI), that has attracted college students from around the northeast. The conference inspired students from Boston University to start their own student-led diversity conference and prompted URI to offer course credit to students who work on the conference.
“Everything we do is of the students by the students and for students,” said Temidayo Akinjisola ’17, a political science and supply chain management major from Providence, R.I., who co-founded the conference with four upperclassmen. In its first year, the conference hosted more than 200 attendees from across the northeast. “Three years later, I’m the last line of defense,” Akinjisola said. “It’s been really cool. I’ve developed real-life, transferable skills and provided a service to URI.”
The University’s Center for Career and Experiential Education recognized the conference’s value and now students participating in the planning and implementation of the event may receive field experience credit for their work, Akinjisola added.
The Rainville Awards also honor individual student leaders in three categories: servant leadership, student leadership and student employee.
Individual award recipients are as follows:
Robert L. Carothers Student Leadership Award: Samuel Klemarczyk ’17, of Exeter, N.H., a communications studies major with a minor in leadership studies, has been engaged in leadership and community service since high school. He said he “realized the impact I could have on others in my community, in school and around the world. I felt compelled to act on that ability.”
Student Leadership Award: Mariam Temitayo Odetunde ’17, of Providence, R.I., is a general business administration major with a minor in honors program. She is president of the Alima International Dance Association and is actively involved with Jumpstart, a national organization that brings college student volunteers into the preschool classroom to work on building language, literacy and social-emotional skills in children from underprivileged communities.
Student Employee Award: Shade Olowookere ’17, of Woonsocket, R.I., a health studies major with a minor in business, is the senior building manager in the Memorial Union. Olowookere is also involved in DRIVE, M.U.S.I.C., and DIVE RI, organizations and initiatives dedicated to fostering diversity and educating the campus and the community.
Named for the late A. Robert Rainville, the University’s vice president for student affairs from 1980 to 1986, the awards recognize, encourage and celebrate students’ leadership in the campus community. During his decades-long career at URI, Rainville emphasized the need to strive for the best intellectual achievement with the highest standards of integrity and ethics while demonstrating a commitment to others. The University has been giving Rainville Awards to student groups and individuals since 1989.
“Each year, the members of the four distinct selection committees are in awe of the level of talent and dedication we see in the students nominated by members of the URI community,” said Melissa Boyd-Colvin ’98, M.S.’03, assistant director of student leadership in the Center for Student Leadership Development.
“Through written applications and interviews, our recipients are able to share their personalized stories of dedication, service, and impact. Most significantly, their words and positive actions have inspired countless others to serve and to lead while at URI,” Boyd-Colvin said.
Students, staff and faculty nominate students, who then must complete an application to advance in the process. This year, more than 200 students applied, the largest applicant pool in the award program’s history. Applicants are forwarded to a selection committee, which makes the final decision. “Our award recipients are truly exceptional scholars, leaders and representatives of the university,” Boyd-Colvin said.