By Opal Comfort
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Florida Memorial University held its annual Honors and Awards Ceremony both in person and digitally. This year’s theme was Celebrating The Pursuit of Excellence.
Kilan C. Ashad-Bishop was yesterday’s keynote speaker. She is a biomedical scientist and advocate for inclusion who has carved her niche at the intersection of science, health, and social change. She is a proud alumna of Morgan State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology, and the University of Miami, where she earned her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. Kilan is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development and the Inaugural Director of the First Star National STEAM Academy. Her professional experience spans academic research, policy, and the nonprofit and private sectors, but her goal remains to improve the health and well-being of communities of color.
“Today was special because it was broadcast for the benefit of our students who were away from campus, some in the Bahamas, to honor and engage them. It added a new layer to the logistics and the planning. We asked students to send in headshots so we could incorporate them into the presentation. We wanted to be as creative as we could to bridge this distance in this virtual environment,” said Dr. Tameka Hobbs, Associate Provost, FMU.
Dr. Jacqueline Hill, Dean of the School of Education at FMU said, “Honors and Awards Day was an opportunity to showcase academic excellence and resilience despite COVID-19.”
