Sophie Audu: Student Development in Higher Education Excellence Award
The Student Development in Higher Education Excellence Award is presented to a graduating master’s student who has most exemplified combined academic and professional excellence with consistently exceptional classroom performance alongside outstanding service to the higher education graduate program, the university and the field.
One of this year’s recipients is Sophie Audu. Born in Nigeria and shipped to the United Kingdom, Sophie graduated from the University of Nottingham with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical materials science. During her college years, Sophie struggled to navigate the college environment in a foreign country and found the engagement in organizations and guidance from student affairs professionals very transformational. Through this experience, Sophie developed an interest in student affairs and the higher education program and has since nurtured this interest.
At UMaine, Sophie was fortunate to work as a graduate assistant in Residence Life and as co-graduate assistant for the Higher Education graduate programs in the College of Education and Human Development. She also completed an internship with Student Accessibility Services and served as both president and vice president of the Student Development Association for the Higher Education program. In addition to her graduate assistantships and other experiences in the Higher Education program, Sophie has seven years of professional work experience in multiple roles including leadership and service.