Six graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology have been awarded Leadership and Diversity Training Program (LDTP) fellowship awards by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Founded in 2008, the LDTP promotes the successful careers of underrepresented minority members through mentoring and professional growth. The program provides one-on-one mentorship and offers students a chance to be involved with ACSM at both regional and national meetings, with ACSM committees, and provides funding for students to attend ACSM and to visit their mentor during the fellowship year.
“Students for this very competitive program are selected based not just on their interest in the field of kinesiology, but their potential to succeed in academia and in ACSM,” says Sofiya Alhassan, professor of kinesiology, who also serves as the department’s graduate program director. “All the students that received the award have demonstrated excellent scholarly potential and leadership skills.”
“These awards reflect the emphasis in the department in creating a diverse graduate student body and culture in the graduate program that welcomes students from all backgrounds,” adds Richard van Emmerik, professor and chair of kinesiology. “Most importantly, these students are successful and the ACSM awards that our students of color are obtaining are a testament to our approach, faculty mentorship, and commitment of the department that students from all backgrounds succeed in our program.”
The ACSM Leadership and Diversity Training Program fellowship recipients are:
Level 2 Awardees (Doctoral Level Students)
Marcos Amalbert-Birriel, a doctoral student working in the Physical Activity and Health Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor John Sirard
Melanna Cox, a doctoral student working in the Physical Activity and Health Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor John Sirard
Joseph Gordon III, a doctoral student working in the Muscle Physiology Lab under the supervision of Professor Jane Kent
Skylar Holmes, a doctoral student working in the Musculoskeletal Orthopedic Biomechanics Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor Katherine Boyer
Level 1 Awardees (Master’s Level Students)
Timothy Joseph, a master’s student working in the Pediatric Physical Activity Lab under the supervision of Professor Sofiya Alhassan
Nehemiah Wilson, a master’s student working in the Pediatric Physical Activity Lab under the supervision of Professor Sofiya Alhassan