Board of Trustees

Wilson, Human Relations Award recipients announced

Natalia Boyko, Alex Currington and Ashley Chillis were recognized by the university's Board of Trustees for outstanding leadership, academic achievement and social contributions to the campus community.

icon of a calendarApril 15, 2019

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Wilson, Human Relations Award recipients announced
Wilson and Human Relations Award recipients

Each spring, the Oakland University Board of Trustees takes time to recognize three senior students for distinguishing themselves as outstanding scholars and leaders on campus and in the community. 

President Pescovitz with award recipients

From left, Ashley Chillis, OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, Alex Currington and Natalia Boyko.

The Alfred G. Wilson and Matilda R. Wilson awards – the most prestigious honors the university presents to students – have recognized OU’s top male and female scholars and leaders since 1965. The awards commemorate the Wilson family, whose generous donation of land and financial resources helped establish the university in 1957.

The Human Relations Award recognizes a student who has made a valuable social impact within the university community. A committee that reviews nominations from faculty, staff and students selects award recipients. Recommended candidates are ultimately approved as honorees by the vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer, and the president.

Matilda R. Wilson Award

Natalia Boyko, Economics and International Relations 

Natalia Boyko

Natalia Boyko

Natalia Boyko’s leadership roles include serving as president of OU’s Ukrainian Student Organization and Women’s Economic Society, as well as secretary of the Economics Students’ Association. She also was a member of OU’s Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society and Model United Nations team.

In addition to being a study abroad adviser in OU’s International Students and Scholars office, Boyko served internships at the Think Tank Centre of Policy and Legal Reform, and the Non-Governmental Organization Centre of Local Government Studies, in Ukraine. Her activities also include being a peer tutor in economics and Spanish at the OU Tutoring Center, being a member of the editorial board of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, and being recipient of the Book Award for her position paper at the North American Model UN conference.

She achieved a 3.95 GPA as a double major in Economics and International Relations. 

Alfred G. Wilson Award

Alex Currington, Psychology

Alex Currington

Alex Currington

Alex Currington has demonstrated leadership as a peer mentor in the Center for Multicultural Initiatives, a leadership assistant in the School of Health Sciences and a research assistant in the Department of Psychology.

He’s also the founding president of Actively Moving Forward, a student organization devoted to supporting bereaved students on campus. He worked with university leaders to establish and implement the Student Bereavement Notification Policy, which was approved in April 2018.

A psychology major, Currington achieved a 3.88 GPA and made the Dean’s List each of his semesters at OU. In 2017, he earned OU’s Keeper of the Dream Award, which recognizes student leaders for breaking down stereotypes and promoting racial and cultural understanding.

Human Relations Award

Ashley Chillis, Nursing

Ashley Chillis

Ashley Chillis

Ashley Chillis has made a positive impact on campus by serving as president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., treasurer of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC); and as a member of the Black Nurses Association.

She has also taken part in several OU Days of Service, and traveled to Cusco, Peru with OU’s chapter of MEDLIFE, which provides medicine, education and development for low income families. She is a recipient of OU’s Keeper of the Dream Award and has served as a peer mentor in the Center for Multicultural Initiatives.

Additionally, she worked in various roles for University Housing and the Annual Giving office, and was a lab assistant in OU’s Eye Research Institute, under the guidance of Professor Andrew Goldberg. She achieved a 3.2 GPA while majoring in Nursing.

To learn more about the Wilson and Human Relations Awards at Oakland University, visit the website.

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