Another academic year has come and gone! As we await this Sunday’s Commencement Ceremony, the BIPOC Unity Center is hosting our annual Senior Leadership Awards Ceremony. In Ford Hall, James J. Whalen Center for Music, on Saturday, May 18, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the BIPOC Unity Center will be celebrating the academic achievements and co-curricular successes of our BIPOC students, first-generation graduates, Ithaca Achievement Program (IAP) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Scholarship (MLK) program participants.
We are also awarding our annual First-Generation Dedication Award to staff members Samantha Elebiary and Cliff-Simon Vital for their continued support of our first-generation community. Additionally, the BIPOC Unity Center will award Associate Professor Carlos Figueroa our annual Guardian Award for his continued support of our first-generation community.
Our Celebration will include a keynote speech from Executive Coach, Daphne Valcin. Her career and executive coaching clients have had various results that include landing dream jobs, being offered their first or next senior positions, enhancing their ability to create strategic and productive professional relationships, and greatly increasing their level of productivity. Valcin’s clients have included representatives from Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies such as UnitedHealthcare, Lockheed Martin Corporation, VMWare, Caterpillar, UPS, and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., along with leaders within organizations committed to social change, including Higher Achievement, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and KIPP Public Charter Schools.
The event will include reflections from our graduates who represent the various touch points of the BIPOC Unity Center. Ashanti Ford will represent the Ithaca Achievement Program, Adriana Ramirez will represent the MLK Scholarship Program, and Jae Williams will speak on his experiences as a first-generation graduate.
Join us for this meaningful celebration, which promises to be a highlight of our Commencement Weekend festivities. To learn more about our award winners and keynote speaker, please check out our website!