Anna Feldmann Wins Miami University's President's Distinguished Service Award

2017 Apr 26

Miami University student Anna Feldmann is one of 23 seniors to win this year's President's Distinguished Service Award.

The awards are presented each year to graduating seniors for their contributions to campus, the greater community and to higher education.

One word that describes Anna Lucia is advocate. One nominator said that she displays an immense capacity to understand current student culture and works tirelessly to provide inclusive and safe, brave spaces within the university setting to provide support, advocacy and care for marginalized students on campus. She has done this through roles with the Women’s Center, the student organization F-WORD, an orientation leader, a Scholar Leader Community member, and more. She was instrumental in creating the list of demands presented to the Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Education, Prevention, and Response Committee, with the goal of collaboratively filling gaps that exist in Miami’s current efforts. This culminated with Anna Lucia petitioning and educating Miami’s Board of Trustees on the subject and where Miami has room to grow. But activism on campus did not fulfill Anna Lucia’s desire to make positive change. In the fall of 2015 she went to Ferguson, Missouri to witness for herself the lived experiences and impact the Black Lives Matter movement was having on that community. Anna Lucia spent last fall semester in the Over the Rhine community of Cincinnati with the Urban Teaching Cohort, where she witnessed firsthand how marginalized communities exist in the context of a large city.

The winners are also awarded the Senior Service Leadership Award and wear a special medallion at commencement.

Feldmann, from Palatine, is earning a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Social Justice Studies.

Miami University was 1 of only 5 universities in the nation to receive the Presidential Award in the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. In 2013, Miami received an honor roll placement with distinction. Miami has been named to The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since 2007.