Five Miami Regional Students Receive President’s Distinguished Service Award

(From left) Alex McSwain, Nicole Reckner, Kofi Ansah, Sabrina Cox and Molly Little were awarded the President's Distinguished Service Award by Miami University President David Hodge.

Five Miami Regional students were the recipients of the Miami University President's Distinguished Service Award, presented in Oxford on April 19.

Kofi Ansah, Alex McSwain, and Nicole Reckner from Miami Hamilton, and Sabrina Cox and Molly Little from Miami Middletown, all received the prestigious award, given to those students whose service to the university has been extraordinary. Only 15 seniors from all of Miami's campuses received this award.

Kofi Ansah, a zoology major from Fairfield, received his Bachelor of Science in December of 2014. His service includes serving as Co-Director of Project Civility, as a senator in the Student Government Association (SGA), and Supports to Encourage Low-Income Families (SELF). Ansah has also received the Second Year Achievement Award on the Oxford campus, and the Achievement and Influence Award on the Hamilton Campus.

Sabrina Cox, an integrative studies major from Monroe, is heavily involved with campus life. Her service includes being a founder of Students Advocating for Animal Rights Intelligently (SAFARI), a member of Campus Activities Board (CAB), the former Treasurer and Vice President of Miami Middletown Student Government (MMSG), and as the Middletown student representative for both the Task Force and Process Committee on Differentiation of the regional campuses. Her campus employment includes the Office of Student Activities, where she has helped coordinate Project Prom, and the campus' Veterans Day Ceremony. She has been an Orientation Leader and a Coordinator for Student Orientation Advising and Registration (S.O.A.R.), a Campus Ambassador for Admission, and an Undergraduate Associate for Dr. Brian Domino's Medical Ethics course. Cox received a Second Year Achievement Award from Oxford in 2011, the 2014 W. Lynn Darbyshire Award, the highest student award given at Middletown, and the Women's Leadership Award in Oxford. She is only the second undergraduate from the Regionals to receive this award.

Molly Little, a sociology major in the honor's program from Hamilton, has been involved in many facets of campus life. Her service includes being the President of Miami Colors, A Gay Straight Alliance; former Miami Middletown Student Government (MMSG) President; former Miami Middletown student representative for University Senate; Students Engaging in Real Volunteer Efforts (SERVE), and the Diversity Committee. Little's campus employment includes: a Student Coordinator of Student Orientation Advising & Registration (SOAR), Writing Tutor in The Learning Center, Coordinator of America Reads & Counts for the Office of Community Engagement and Service and Student Aide for the Sociology Department in Oxford. She received the 2013 W. Lynn Darbyshire Award, the Service & Leadership Award in 2012 and 2013, a Second Year Achievement Award from Oxford in 2012, and the MUM Achievement and Influence Award in 2012.

Alex McSwain, an integrative studies major from Fairfield. His involvement in campus life includes being an orientation coordinator and previously an orientation leader, Treasurer of the Campus Activities Committee, previous Vice President of the Campus Activities Committee, previous Treasurer of Prism, and a Senator for the Student Government Association. He has participated in the Miami Hamilton United Day of Service, Support to Encourage Low-Income Families (SELF), and Stay-Cation. McSwain earned the Outstanding Orientation Leader Award from Miami Hamilton in August of 2013, and the Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America in June of 2009.

Nicole Reckner, a health promotion major from Cincinnati, is deeply involved with campus life. Her activities include being the founder of Peer Advocates for Total Health (P.A.T.H), an associate of the Student Government Association, Co-Director of Project Civility, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), a Hamilton campus orientation leader, and a past member of the 'I Am Miami' Student-Committee. P.A.T.H has sponsored 27 programs on campus including, Tobacco Awareness and Education Event, Eating Right on a College Student's Budget, Smoothie Day, Eat a Healthy Breakfast - Oatmeal Bar, and the annual Healthy Bake Sale.