On the heels of Greek rush at Wittenberg, Kenzie Hill, Wittenberg class of 2020, exemplified how being part of a sorority benefits college students. Hill, who served as president and executive vice president of Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi) during her time at Wittenberg, was recently presented with the national Dorothy Pierpont Shaw Leadership Award, the highest individual honor available to collegiate members of ADPi.
Hill joins 16 other ADPi leaders from across the country in earning the prestigious award, which is normally given to a junior or senior member who is not only dedicated to ADPi, but also to the campus community as a whole. Recipients must maintain a 3.4 GPA or higher and show a commitment to sisterhood, service, scholarship, and leadership.
鈥淏eing selected for this award was an incredible honor for me. Alpha Delta Pi gave me a support system that shares my values, which allowed me to grow as a leader and as a person during my time at Wittenberg,鈥� said Hill, a double major in political science and communication who graduated summa cum laude with University honors and departmental honors in communication. 鈥淚t was a privilege to serve the chapter as executive vice president and president and to be a voice and resource for my sisters. These positions allowed me to give back to the community of women who pushed me to do better while also encouraging me to explore my other passions.鈥�
Hill, from Zanesville, Ohio, also completed minors in justice, law, and public policy, and Russian and Central Eurasian studies, was awarded the Charles J. Ping Student Service Award and the Jeffrey Y. Mao Alumni Award in Political Science, made the dean鈥檚 list all eight semesters at Wittenberg, and was invited to join Lambda Pi Eta and Pi Sigma Alpha honor societies. She recently began the position of benefits specialist for Muskingum County in Ohio, where she oversees employee benefits.
鈥淭his position allows me to be a resource for the employees of Muskingum County, which is where I find my passion. I don鈥檛 have a clear career path at the moment, but I do know that the path I choose will incorporate service to others in some manner,鈥� said Hill, who, in addition to her work with ADPi, served as a community service coordinator at Wittenberg鈥檚 Susan Hirt Hagen Center, as treasurer, vice president, and president of the Fuller Center for Housing organization on campus, and as the leadership chair for Alpha Phi Omega. She also volunteered at Autumn Trails Stable for two years.
鈥淗elping others is a driving factor for me, which I discovered at Wittenberg through my leadership roles with the organizations I was a part of and the service experiences I had in the Springfield community,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he values that drew me to ADPi, including being helpful, dedicated, driven, and compassionate, were also embodied in my other involvements, which the Dorothy Shaw Leadership Award recognized. In receiving this award, I also feel I have been recognized for living out the creed of Alpha Delta Pi, which to me mirrors the Wittenberg motto of 鈥楬aving Light We Pass It On To Others.鈥� I developed myself as a person and scholar through ADPi and my other involvements at Wittenberg to become a contributing member of society.鈥�
Hill, who plans to volunteer for ADPi, is also the junior varsity cheer coach for her other alma mater, West Muskingum High School. She said that her experiences at Wittenberg allowed her to shift perspective as she interacted with individuals at the University, in the Springfield community, and even with communities she visited during Fuller Center trips to Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
鈥淲ittenberg gave me a place to explore my passions and make connections with individuals who supported me in the pursuit of my personal development,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned from the connections I made at Wittenberg that doing something well means you should share it with others. Take the lessons and experiences and make it purposeful by being a contributing member of society. Wittenberg allowed me to grow my passion for service, another part of why it was the university for me.鈥�
As for ADPi, Hill said she found a group of women with varying interests yet similar values that helped everyone to grow. 鈥淥ur commitment to scholarship, service, leadership, and sisterhood can be found in so many of my memories of Wittenberg, including the late-night study sessions, the trips to the Ronald McDonald House, the many spontaneous Dunkin Donut trips for coffee, and the work I witnessed sisters put into creating events for our sisterhood.鈥�
ADPi鈥檚 leadership award is named in memory of Dorothy Pierpont Shaw, who was initiated into the Rho chapter at Boston University in 1916 and later affiliated with Psi鈥揅alifornia, Berkeley. Shaw began her service to the sorority in 1921 when she was elected as alumnae secretary and continued to serve as registrar, historian, province president, convention marshall, and numerous other positions until her untimely death in 1938.
