LIVE WELL Student Leadership Award

We recognize excellence.

Nominate a student

Our LIVE WELL Student Leadership Award program was designed to honor outstanding student achievement within the College of Nursing. The program is designed to highlight students who best exemplify LIVE WELL and who create a positive impact on their community.

Nominators must submit a short survey explaining why the student is deserving of this award. College faculty, staff and students can nominate a student for outstanding leadership and can nominate multiple students each semester. Nominees’ leadership and engagement must exemplify at least one characteristic of LIVE WELL.

A college-led committee will select one undergraduate and one graduate winner each semester based on nominations. Those winners will be recognized throughout the college and be eligible for the Outstanding Leadership scholarship. The Outstanding Leadership scholarship is a $500 scholarship given to one of the semester winners at the end of the academic year.

We encourage the entire College of Nursing community to nominate deserving students and join together to appreciate our student leaders. Nominations for Spring Semester will be accepted until March 15. Our second semester winners will be announced in late March.

If you have any questions about the program please contact Gina Taff (Taff.6@osu.edu).

Nominate a student

Jill Rodgers

Autumn 2023 LIVE WELL Undergraduate Award Winner

Jill Rodgers is a BSN student at the College of Nursing. Her peers describe her as a leader within the Ohio State community. Rodgers serves as the President of Project HEAL at Ohio State, advocating for equitable access to eating disorder treatment and beginning the planning to create a fund to help Ohio State students access outpatient treatment. Within her work as president, she works to advocate for student wellness and destigmatize mental health treatment. She also works as a PCA at Nationwide Children's Hospital on their hematology/oncology floor, where she orients new PCAs and goes above and beyond to make connections with and support her patients. Rodgers uses this experience to educate those in her community about the “Be The Match” bone marrow donor registry. These experiences inspired Rodgers to spend portion of her summer volunteering at Flying Horse Farms, a summer camp for children with serious medical needs. Rodgers' leadership and passion for helping those around her makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

Malaika Sesay

Autumn 2023 LIVE WELL Graduate Award Winner

Malaika Sesay (she/her) is a Graduate Entry student at the College of Nursing with a specialty in psychiatric mental health. Sesay’s dedication to selflessly extend a helping hand to others inspires her peers. Her involvement in community projects reflects a deep sense of empathy and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on the lives of those in need. Sesay is committed to community service and often works to uplift underprivileged women and survivors of human trafficking. Despite the demanding and accelerated nature of her academic curriculum, she consistently finds time to contribute to meaningful initiatives. Sesay’s commitment to fostering a supportive and compassionate environment is reflected in her engagement with her church and the broader community. Sesay’s track record as a selfless leader makes her well-deserving of this recognition.


2022-2023 Monthly Winners

March Award Winner- Ashley Rachid

Ashley Rachid

Ashley Rachid (she/her) is a Traditional Master’s student at the College of Nursing with a specialty for Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (’24). As a staff nurse in the OR and on a variety of medical-surgical nursing units, Rachid has always been passionate about patient-centered, evidence-based care, especially in the oncology population. Rachid demonstrates excellent professional initiative and a positive attitude at The James Thoracic Oncology Clinic, where she often volunteers to fill in for her unit’s manager on short notice during a time of need. She was awarded her second James Compassionate Care Award. Rachid also serves as the assistant manager for The James Clinics at Martha Morehouse. As an assistant nurse manager, Rachid organizes activities and educational services for her fellow employees with their wellness in mind. She also shares her nursing experience with her community, participates in group exercise programs with co-workers, and volunteers at her local homeless shelter. Rachid’ track record as a proactive leader makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

February Award Winner- Ciara Haas

Ciara Haas

Ciara Haas (she/her) is a first-year Graduate Entry student at the College of Nursing with a specialty in psychology. Haas often steps in to help others within her cohort and she is a leader in the clinical setting as well. As a staff member in the behavioral health unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Haas orients new staff to the unit and leads them through crisis events with discernment and authority. She regularly innovates to streamline processes, respecting the beaten path while simultaneously forging a more efficient one. Her vision is strong and captivates those around her; she sees a world where mental health treatment is revolutionized by trauma-informed care and leading-edge research. Haas’ track record as a great leader and innovator makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

January Award Winner - Kelsie Ulliman

Kelsie Ulliman

Kelsie Ulliman (she/her) is a Master’s student at the College of Nursing with a specialty in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (’23). Ulliman is very involved in the community and passionate about the work she does as a nurse. In the bone marrow transplant unit, she goes above and beyond for her patients. She also serves as a charge nurse and a preceptor to help lead new nurses that are starting on the unit. In the community, Ulliman is very involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year, she is the chairman of The James team for Light the Night where over $25K is expected to be fundraised for patients with hematologic cancers. Ulliman’s track record as a great leader and ability to bring light to the world of patients who are experiencing a cancer diagnosis make her well-deserving of this recognition.

December Award Winner - Jonathan Yardley

Jonathan Yardley

Jonathan Yardley (he/him) is a Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate student at the College of Nursing. Yardley is an Associate Professor-Clinical at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Through his ongoing wellness leadership, dedication, and focus on expanding wellbeing at the CVM, Yardley has been a proponent for evidence-based strategies for best practices in healthcare and beyond. Yardley is the co-chair of the CVM’s Health & Wellbeing Committee and has presented at the past two Clinician Well-being Summits. He has shown his commitment to wellness by becoming a Buckeye Wellness Innovator, a Health Athlete and MINDSTRONG facilitator. He has a passion for and competes in the sport of curling. His desire to be healthy and to help others become their best self makes him well-deserving of this recognition.

November Award Winner - Sasha Hammer

Sasha Hammer

Sasha Hammer (she/her) is a senior BSN student at the College of Nursing. Her peers describe her as the epitome of a passion-led student. She has made those around her become inspired to do the hard work. Hammer is researching strategies used to screen older adults for pre-operative delirium to prevent complications and mortality after surgery. Her peers view her as a driven, positive light in the program. Hammer hopes to continue her education to become a CRNA one day. Her passion for medicine and helping those around her makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

October Award Winner - Jessica Diallo

Jessica DialloJessica Diallo (she/her) is a Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate student at the College of Nursing. Diallo is the Senior Project Manager at the Ohio College of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC). Through her ongoing wellness leadership, dedication, and focus on expanding wellness offerings for staff, Diallo has created unique opportunities for staff to engage in both movement and meditation. She organized and led an innovative lunchtime wellness series for GRC staff and family members that included strength, dance, and yoga at a time when sedentary work-from-home practices had become a way of life for many. In addition to her engagement at OSUMC, Diallo teaches community dance classes. Her track record within the university and in the community makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

2021-2022 Monthly Winners

March Award Winner – Aarhea Hope

Aarhea Hope

Aarhea Hope (she/her) is a founder and the Vice President of the Nursing Students of Color organization. Hope is the chair of her mentorship program, which aims to increase Black, Indigenous and non-Black students of color’s success at the College of Nursing. Within The Ohio State University’s community, Hope plans student events that promote study tips and overall health. Hope demonstrates leadership by promoting wellness for herself and others. Within the Columbus community, Hope volunteers and completes biometric screenings and educates people about their hemoglobin, A1C and cholesterol levels. She also spends time volunteering for Black Impact, which aims to improve the health of African American men. Her dedication to giving back to the Ohio State and Columbus communities make her well-deserving of this recognition.

February Award Winner – Brittany Silverman

Brittany Silverman

Brittany Silverman (she/her) is a Grad-Entry student (‘23) at the College of Nursing. Silverman is the Graduate Studies Committee Student Representative for her cohort. As a representative of her cohort, she fosters open communication between students, the committee and faculty. In this position, Silverman exhibits leadership qualities through complex group projects and cohort-wide efforts. Before her transition to nursing, Silverman was a respiratory therapist for many years. She is particularly interested in how she can improve the quality of mental health in her patients. Her leadership and passion to improve the quality of mental health in her patients make her well-deserving of this recognition.

January Award Winner – Maddie Ward

Maddie Ward

Maddie Ward (she/her) is a senior BSN student at the College of Nursing. Ward is very actively involved. She is the student liaison for NSPIRE student organization. Ward is also a team captain for the Nurses For The Kids BuckeyeThon team where she spent countless hours attending BuckeyeThon meetings, recruiting new members and organizing fundraising efforts. With Ward's leadership and dedication, the Nurses For The Kids BuckeyeThon team was one of the top fundraising teams for Nationwide Children's Hospital last year. Her passion to support the fight in ending childhood cancer makes her well-deserving of this recognition.

December Award Winner – Faith Metlock

Faith Metlock

Faith Metlock (she/her) is a fourth-year BSN student at the College of Nursing. She is an active member of the Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Society at the College of Nursing and the Columbus chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society. Metlock is the founding member and now president of the Nursing Students of Color organization (NSC). Her professors and peers describe her as a “constant advocate for and leader of students at Ohio State.” Metlock's desire to eliminate health disparities has driven her to create a health promotion platform called Black Health Explained designed to increase health literacy and accessibility in the Black community. Her platform was granted first-time student funding from the office of Community Engagement and Outreach. During her spare time, Metlock volunteers at food banks in the Cleveland and Columbus area.

November Award Winner – Alicia Angelo

Alicia Angelo

Alicia Angelo (she/her) is a DNP student at the College of Nursing (’22). Her peers describe her as thoughtful, genuine and an exercise advocate. She shares the importance of having a work-life balance with her fellow DNP students and encourages them to participate in meditation, yoga and exercise. Angelo created a group on POLO, a video chat application, encouraging her fellow DNP students to practice mindfulness. Her peers view her as a role model and someone who thoroughly embraces a wellness-focused and evidence-based mindset.

October Award Winner – Patrick Azzari

Patrick Azzari

Patrick Azzari (’23) is a Graduate Entry Program student at the College of Nursing. He started the program in summer 2020 and is pursuing the FNP track. Azzari is also an active member on the Ohio State campus. He is the treasurer and co-founder of the Out in Nursing student organization. While pursing full-time graduate school, he works full-time as a Patient Care Associate at the James Cancer Hospital. His peers value his mentorship and feedback on ideal care. Azzari is also pursuing a degree in Public Health from another institution. His outstanding leadership and passion to continue his education make him well-deserving of this recognition.