2018 Campbell Award Winners

May 29, 2018

In 2016, the Columbia University Trustees and the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) established The Campbell Award, which is presented to a graduating student at each School who shows exceptional leadership and Columbia spirit as exemplified by the late Bill Campbell '62CC, '64TC, Chair Emeritus, University Trustee and CAA co-founder.

Rowan Hepps Keeney '18BC
Keeney served as a Barnard Student Admissions Representative, was a Q House Resident, was active in organizations at Barnard and Columbia College, served as president of GendeRev, and is a voice for trans and gender non-conforming students. Keeney helped to create a film that shows others how to use different pronouns respectfully in print and verbal communication. 

Sonya Nanda Hober '18BUS
Hober served on the Business School's Student Government Executive Board, CBS Reflects (diversity, equity, and inclusion Board), Hermes Society, Harlem Tutorial Program, South Asian Business Association, and the Wine Society. She collaborated with faculty, administration, and students and helped spread the word about Wellness Days and Study Breaks to ease the stress of a highly competitive program.

Akua Obeng-Akrofi '18CC
Obeng-Akrofi is an Olympian who competed for Ghana in the 2016 Rio Olympics and is one of the best sprinters ever on Columbia's Track & Field team. Born in Ghana, but raised in Georgia, she was a psychology major and pre-med, and was a rallying force for her teammates. She co-founded a non-profit organization, WEBelieve (Women Everywhere Believe), which trains the next generation of women leaders while centering the voices of women of color.

Nathanel Shammay '18DM
Shammay was captain of the Student Tech Support of the Curriculum Innovation Committee, co-founder and vice president of the Oral Pathology Club, Anatomy Memorial Service coordinator, and a Give Kids A Smile Day volunteer. As a Macy Scholar, has worked with CUMC faculty and students from CDM, P&S, NRS, and PH about narrative medicine, a more holistic approach to patient care. He served as his class's Webmaster.

Pawel Maslag '18GS
Maslag served as a peer educator for the Sexual Violence Response Office, a Community Service Representative on the General Studies Student Council, a GS Orientation Leader, and as GS Junior Marshal at Class Day. He was also involved with student organizations to promote sexual respect across the University-wide community.

Abraham Sydney Murrell '18GSAPP 
Murrell served on the admissions committee, student council, and ran the student architecture studio lotteries. He often mentored fellow students and offered advice, while fostering a collegial spirit to aspiring architects. In his pre-Columbia days, he built his own bicycle and pedaled it from Canada to Mexico.

Devon Wade '18GSAS (Posthumous)
When at Columbia, Wade served as a founding member of Students of Color Alliance (SoCA) and for the Center of Justice at Columbia Incarceration Working Group. He was also an instructor and teaching assistant for courses including Sociology of Race, Crime, and Law and Sociology of Work and Gender. He served as a graduate student mentor and student representative on a search committee for the GSAS Asst. Dean of Academic Diversity. Outside of Columbia, he was a spokesperson for No More Victims, Inc., a not-for-profit organization based in Houston that supports the children of incarcerated parents. 

Heather Schroering '18JRN 
Schroering served as vice president of the Journalism School's Women in Media Group and worked with the Office of Disability Services. She also worked with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and tenaciously and articulately pushed the Center toward more programming on safety for women journalists following the death of Kim Wall '13JRN, '15SIPA and the #MeToo movement.

Patricia Okonta '18LAW
Okonta was executive editor for the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, co-president of the Students for Public Interest Network, Community Service chair for the Black Law Students Association, and served on the search committee for the Dean of Social Justice Initiatives. She worked to create opportunities for students to engage with neighborhood schools, food banks, and soup kitchens.

Linda Armstrong '18NRS 
Armstrong was president and founding member of the Oncology Nursing Club for students and shared her passion for great cancer care with her student colleagues. From its nascent beginnings, it grew to 100 members. She also led the collaboration with the Center for Health and Wellness and hosted an expert on Vicarious Trauma and PTSD in Cancer Care Professionals. She put succession planning in place so that her original club still thrives.

Chelsea Wynn '18PH 
Wynn was a student leader at the programmatic and policy level for Mailman School of Public Health. She co-created the Columbia Emerging Women's Leadership student organization, a group of women that developed a series of workshops, seminars, and socials to support women in their professional development. She was the Student Representative on the Dean's Policy Advisory Committee and helped to build a bridge of communication between the Graduate Student Association and student representatives on School-wide committees.

Ashley White-Stern '18PS
White-Stern was president of the Black and Latino Student Organization, chapter founder of the P&S White Coats for Black Lives Matter, and senior chair of the Student Curricular Advisory Board. Previous to her medical studies, she graduated with honors in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Chicago.

Zach Dansby '18SEAS
Dansby was a student-athlete and in the civil engineering program. He played on the Columbia varsity football team (#88 Tight End) all four years. He hosted potential recruits and introduced them to Columbia, actively advising underclassman on class selection and career preparation, as well as leadership during the competition season and offseason training.

Katarina Luz Mayers '18SIPA
Mayers is a former president of SIPA's Student Government, was a SIPA Peer Advisor during the last academic year, an admissions ambassador, a research assistant, and a member of numerous students groups. She implemented new programs, one of which is the SIPASA Opportunity Fund, providing funding for students in need.

Jabari McDonald '18SOA 
McDonald re-established the group Filmmakers of Color United in Spirit (FOCUS) and was a student board member of the Producers Guild of America. Jabari led on issues of diversity, justice, and fairness at the film department of the SOA, and was chosen as one of the orientation leaders last year.

Kristina Hosi '18SPS
Hosi is the co-founder and was president of the Bioethikos Student Organization at SPS, served as SPS Student Government representative, was the SPS student representative on the Columbia Graduate Council, volunteered at the NYP/Morgan Stanley's Children Hospital, and was an important advocate for SPS student participation in both the Class Gift Fund and Columbia Giving Day 2017.

Durrell Malik Washington Sr. '18SW
In just a year at the School of Social Work, as an Advanced Standing Program participant, Washington was a strong leader supporting students of color, particularly men of color, in multiple roles. He was committed to mentoring and offering help and advice when he perceived the need from his fellow and prospective classmates. He trained to facilitate the SW Professional Development and Self-Awareness (PDSA) workshop, required of all students at orientation. As a lead for Beyond the Bars Fellows, he spoke at its opening ceremony this spring.

Nathan Shields Mullen '18TC
Mullen was vice president of TC Student Senate, former Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, a congressional intern for Congressman Jack Kingston, and an Outward Bound Wilderness Guide. He was a student leader and worked across the entire University community to collaborate and ensure TC students were informed of Columbia policies, events, and opportunities.