BLACK EXCELLENCE: BLACK FACULTY OF THE YEAR AWARD DESTYNIE SEWELL NAMED EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR BY THE BLACK EXCELLENCE STUDENT ORGANIZATION For the second year in a row, a faculty member from the College of Business Administration was named Educator of the Year by the UNO student organization, Black Excellence. Destynie Sewell, Assistant Professor of Finance, Banking, and Real Estate at CBA, and Racquel Henderson, Instructor in the Criminal Justice Department both received the award this year. The group selects the winner(s) by reviewing faculty members who have helped them both inside and outside the classroom. “I am so very honored to be recognized as the Educator of the Year by the Black Excellence Student Organization at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. It is even more heartwarming to receive this honor in front of my family and share it with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Shana Redd, who received this honor last year and addressed the student chapter as their keynote speaker this year,” Sewell said. “While our demographic holds the highest ratio of having doctorate degrees, Dr. Redd informed us that only 2% of
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tenured professors in our country are black women. Representation is so very important. It creates a model. It inspires. It opens doors. It encourages others to walk through them. Thank you, Dr. Darryll Halcomb Lewis, for doing all these things for me, including inspiring me to go to law school. I am so very proud to be walking in the path you and so many others have paved.” Black Excellence was formed to serve as a resource for Black students across the UNO campus. They want to celebrate Black students, faculty, and staff members’ accomplishments and achievements. They have several events throughout the academic year including their Black & Bougie Gala in the spring, a welcome back BBQ in the fall, held with other Black Student Unions at college campuses across the metro, events during Black History Month, and a talent show, to name a few. If you are interested in joining, contact them at linktr.ee/unobsu or unoblackexcellence@unomaha.edu or DM them on social media.