THE MARY JEAN SIMPSON AWARD is presented to the senior student who best exemplifies the qualities of character, leadership, and scholarship. It is named in honor of Mary Jean Simpson who exemplified these qualities throughout her professional career, including as UVM’s third Dean of Women (1938–1955) and as Bill Clerk to the United States Senate (1926–1933). This year’s recipient is Zyakkiriah Rhoden (she/her pronouns).

A first-generation college student from New York City, Zyakkiriah majored in Public Health Sciences with a minor in Community Entrepreneurship. As a first-year student navigating a predominately white university, it took her time to find her passion. However, once she identified that passion to be making great change in the medical field from the angle of public policy, she found her way to her major and has excelled through the program because, as she says, “I love what I study, so it makes doing the work much more manageable.”  

Zyakkiriah has complemented her academic experience with an impressive list of leadership experiences and involvement on campus. She has served as an Orientation Leader, as both president and treasurer of the Black Student Union, an AdvoCat tour guide with Admissions, the lead Davis Center Building Manager, founder and treasurer of UVM Firsts, a new club for first-generation students, and both the Student Government Association treasurer and chair of the Student Government Association Finance Committee. As a black woman on campus, Zyakkiriah has achieved all of these accomplishments while also navigating UVM’s predominantly white campus, creating and sustaining formal and informal opportunities for BIPOC and first-gen students to build community, support and celebration.

Dani Comey, director of the Center for Student Success, shared: “Zyakkiriah Rhoden is a remarkable individual. A talented scholar, Zyakkiriah has excelled in her academic work at UVM, began graduate coursework as an undergraduate, and will earn her Master’s in Public Health next spring. Zyakkiriah has also invested countless hours of her talents and passion providing exemplary student leadership, building community, and advocating for a more inclusive and just UVM. Zyakkiriah’s commitment to excellence, to her fellow students, and to building inclusive spaces and opportunities on campus reflect not only her leadership and talents, but also the depth of her character. She truly embodies the character, leadership and scholarship of the Mary Jean Simpson Award.”