Student Advisory Board

Hameidah Alsafwani was initiated into the University of Nebraska – Omaha (UNO) Circle in November 2017. She has been active in circle activities since and attended the 2018 Biennial National Convention and Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tenn. She is currently serving as the immediate past national student vice chair and as a member of the Board Nominations Committee. Her current term on the Board of Trustees will conclude in June 2022.

Hameidah graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management with concentrations in the private sector and criminal justice. She is presently enrolled in a Master of Public Administration program while working as a graduate assistant in UNO’s Office of University Communications. She is also working part-time as a hotline associate in the Office of Mayor for Omaha.

During the 2017-18 academic year, Hameidah served as the vice president of the UNO student body. She worked with university administrators and faculty members in promoting school spirit and improving the overall campus experience for all UNO students and staff. She served on several committees that were focused on developing a strategy for growth and a plan of excellence. As a student, Hameidah still participates in outreach events within the university community and participates in various volunteer opportunities.

Previously, Hameidah interned with the Douglas County Emergency Management Agency where she worked on several emergency prevention projects. She still volunteers to help with emergency exercises and plans for the agency. Also, she continues to serve as a volunteer for the community TEDx program including assisting with the speaker selection, event promotion, and program coordination.

Hameidah lives, works, and attends graduate school in Omaha, Neb.

Katelyn Boisvert was initiated into Omicron Delta Kappa as a member of the Mu Circle of Emory University in February 2019. For the following year, she served as president of her circle until she graduated in May 2020. She is now serving O∆K as a member of the Student Advisory Board.

Currently, Katelyn is attending graduate school at the University of Michigan, where she is completing a dual degree for a Master of Management through the Ross School of Business and a Master of Science with a major in sustainable systems through the School for Environment and Sustainability. She plans to pursue a career in corporate sustainability, working to increase engagement with sustainability and environmental issues in the private sector. At the University of Michigan, Katelyn is a member of the Net Impact at Ross chapter, and she is researching applications related to carbon neutrality as a member of the Climate Blue student organization.

Katelyn earned her Bachelor of Science with a major in environmental science, with a minor in sustainability sciences, in the honors program at Emory University, where she was involved in a variety of areas during her time as an undergraduate. She gained valuable experience serving as vice president of Phi Eta Sigma in 2017-18, as an orientation leader with Campus Life New Student Programs for two years, and on the Dean’s Freshman Advisory Board. Katelyn was very active in educating students and raising awareness about sustainable living on campus through roles as sustainability chair with Residence Hall Council, campus zero waste ambassador, as a delegate to the 2019 United Nation’s Climate Conference in Madrid, and working as a docent for the Emory WaterHub water reclamation facility. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the Environmental Science Department and as a fellow with the Emory Scholars Program. Katelyn’s career-related activities included internships with the Ohio Environmental Council, Clearstream Solutions in Dublin, Ireland, and Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives, as well as a research internship (REU) with the National Science Foundation.

Katelyn enjoys combining her interests in the environment, the outdoors, and horseback riding in her volunteer activities. She previously served as a volunteer at Stable Influence, an equine-based therapy program for children and adults with special needs.  As a competitive athlete and team secretary on the Emory Equestrian Team, she continued this work as a volunteer at Stride Ahead during college. Katelyn also performed community service in the Atlanta area with Emory student groups, including planting trees for pollinators and stream buffers, clearing invasive species, and other environmental projects.

Melissa M. Cancio is a 2016 initiate of the Florida International University (FIU) Circle. She served as circle president, and she previously served the Society as a member of the National Advisory Council and Student Advisory Board (SAB). In addition to being the national student vice chair, Melissa is also the chair of the SAB. She is also a member of the Executive Committee. Her term on the Board of Trustees will conclude in June 2023.

Melissa is a recent graduate from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and just completed her MBA. At FIU, she earned her Bachelor of Science with a major in public relations, advertising, and applied communication. Melissa, who was a student in the Honors College at FIU, also earned a minor in business communication. She is credited with coordinating one of the most successful Roarthons (FIU’s Dance Marathon) in the school’s history raising significant funds to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network including Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Melissa is a sales consultant with Orland Ridge, part of Village Green Property Management. She was previously a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Involvement at North Central College. In this role, she supervised three marketing assistants and 15 other students who operate the Harold and Eva Whites Activities Center on campus. She also developed marketing plans to promote new student orientation, commuter and transfer student orientation, and weekend programming on campus. Melissa has also served as a social media intern, an events and media coordinator, and a public relations intern.

Khadeil Ergas (Aurora University, 2019) became involved with Omicron Delta Kappa during his junior year. The 2021-22 academic year is his third year of involvement with the Society, and he is excited to be a member of the Student Advisory Board. Throughout his time as a student leader, Khadeil’s goal has always been to empower others around him to continue growing as a leader based on O∆K’s pillars.

Currently, Khadeil is a second-year MBA student at North Central College. He is also the graduate assistant for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. In his position, Khadeil is in charge of outreach, ensuring that his office provides the students of color on campus with the resources they need to be successful through their years at the college. He also helps organize events such as the anti-hate week and CARD training, which covers bias and unbias connotations, racism, and microaggressions for students, staff, and faculty. One of Khadeil’s main tasks in his two years is to create a program called Legacy, which is built to provide support and encouragement to men of color through facilitated mentoring relationships. Outside of being an MBA candidate and a graduate assistant, Khadeil is currently studying for the MCAT to apply to medical school in May 2022.

Khadeil graduated from Aurora University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and health Science. He also earned minors in chemistry and physiology. In his time at Aurora, Khadeil was team leader for the men’s track and field team, president and vice president for Phi Eta Sigma honor society, president and vice president for the Black Student Union (BSU), treasurer for Habitat for Humanity, a resident assistant, and a peer advisor. He also held membership in Mu Sigma Pi, the Science Club, and an organization called F.L.Y. With his dedication to service and being a leader on and off-campus, Khadeil graduated with the Lincoln Laureate Award as well as an award from the Mayor of Aurora for his dedication to service.

Over the years, Khadeil has been a part of several organizations and has been in many positions where he can express his love of volunteering and giving back to the community. His first volunteer involvement started in South Carolina, where he would go to the beaches and clean up the trash in the surrounding areas. Khadeil was involved with the American Heart Association. In college, he organized a 5k to fundraise, helped make breakfast for the homeless, assisted at local food pantries, volunteered at nursing homes, and collected and distributed feminine products to young ladies on campus that could not afford them. In Summer 2021, Khadeil had the opportunity to volunteer with RUSH Medical School as a research scholar. He was also able to provide service to individuals living on the west side of Chicago, in an area where the residents are medically underserved, as well as economically and educationally disadvantaged. Khadeil’s research project focused on preventative kidney screening, including urinalysis tests to identify early signs of diabetes and monitor potential needs for dialysis.

With service at the core of Omicron Delta Kappa’s mission, Alberto Garcia Marrero (Florida International University, 2017) immediately became involved with the organization during his undergraduate studies as a way to increase his involvement with my local community. After his initiation, Alberto quickly joined the executive leadership of his circle as the vice president for programming. He later served as the vice president for membership. In these roles, Alberto became familiar with the Society’s leadership values of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service.

Florida International University (FIU) Circle prides itself on the high level of engagement with our members and the community – consistently giving back to underprivileged segments of the region. Moreover, during Alberto’s time as a leader of the circle, it put together its first-ever Leadership Dinner, hosting local leaders from the community to speak about their experiences and give students advice and their take on what are true leaders in the modern age.

As a second-year law student at the Florida State University College of Law, Alberto serves on the college’s professionalism board, Raising the Bar, and the Student Bar Association, which provide law students with the opportunities to develop their professional and personal skills. He is also involved with We Care Chemo Kits, and Alberto now sits on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit. In addition, he is part of the First District Appellate American Inn of Court, where law students, attorneys, and judges come together to develop the profession and instill similar values of integrity, civility, and fairness in members of the bar.

Alberto has interned with the Honorable Lody Jean of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and the Honorable Scott M. Grossman of the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. Aside from his involvement with both the state and federal judiciary, Alberto has also served as the executive intern to the Mayor of the City of Doral, Florida. In this role, he has worked on issues of local transportation, energy efficiency, and state versus federal legal supremacy. Alberto is also currently engaged with the Florida Division of Emergency Management as a gubernatorial fellow, developing his skills and understanding of the state legislature, administrative law, and the role of government in the lives of the everyday citizen to better his ability to serve as a public servant in the years to come.

One of the achievements of which Alberto is most proud is his leadership role in creating the Pathway to Philanthropy (P2P) program at FIU. P2P was created during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on helping to promote philanthropy and the ability for young alumni of FIU to give back to the university, whether monetary contributions or gifts of time. Working with the FIU Foundation, Alberto and others were able to provide young alums the ability to begin their path to philanthropy earlier in life than later in life. As of 2021, the program has generated more than $2 million in contributions to the university, from creating first-generation scholarships to funding programs such as the FIU Circle and other leadership and service entities like the FIU Center for Leadership and Service.

Christine Rice was initiated into the University at Albany Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in Spring 2020 during her junior year. After learning about the organization from her mentor, Christine knew that she wanted take on a leadership role to make an impact. During the 2020-21 school year, Christine served as the treasurer of her circle, and is currently serving as the vice president during the 2021-22 academic year. During her time as treasurer, Christine was instrumental in securing honorary members of our organization and recruiting her peers to join, which led to the highest number of inductees in the circle’s history. 

Christine is currently a Master in Business Administration candidate at the University at Albany, where she plans on concentrate in marketing and human resource information Systems. She is also a graduate assistant for the Department of Residential Life, as well as an incoming summer intern at Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC). Upon graduation, Christine plans to go into marketing and eventually plans to pursue a law degree. Her dream career is to become a marketing attorney and college professor. 

Previously, Christine, a first-generation college student, earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Spring 2021. On-campus, she is involved with Alpha Phi Omega National Community Service Fraternity, School of Business Leadership Council, Living-Learning Community Program, the Office of Career and Professional Development, and the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). 

From a young age, Christine has volunteered with many organizations. During the past summer, she volunteered with the Down Syndrome Aim High Resource Center (DSAHRC) ,where she worked on developing quantitative reports as well as career-oriented presentations for the youth. In high school, Christine volunteered with the Preston Center of Compassion, where she tutored elementary school kids. Throughout her undergraduate career, it helped her realize that she wanted to continue making impact during her graduate career and beyond. 

Mary E. Stuart (University of Virginia, 2019) is a current student trustee for the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and Educational Foundation, Inc. Her three-year term as one of the Society’s student trustees began on July 1, 2021. In the 2022-23 academic year, she will be the Society’s National Student Vice Chair and Chair of the Student Advisory Board.

Mary served as the UVA Circle president during her junior and senior years at the school. She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English at Virginia. Mary will begin work on her law degree at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in the 2021 fall semester.

A native of King George, Virginia, Mary was involved in several collegiate activities at Virginia, including the College Republicans, the Virginia Riding Team, and the Frank Batten Investment Fund. As an undergraduate, she also held positions with the university’s disability access center and athletic academic affairs office. Mary was also supported numerous programs and events at the Batten School of Leadership during her time at UVA.

Madyson Taylor was initiated into the Omicron Delta Kappa as a member of the Omega Circle of Auburn University in May 2019. For the next year, she served as the director of the Auburn University Homecoming Parade. In February 2020, Madyson was elected president of her circle and served during the COVID-19 pandemic to focus on keeping the Auburn Homecoming Tradition alive. She is now serving O∆K as a member of the Student Advisory Board.

Currently, Madyson is in her first year of medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. She is planning to pursue a career in medicine, and while she is unsure of what the future holds, she is excited to learn and prepare to be the best future physician she can be. She is starting to become involved on campus through multiple service programs such as Equal Access Birmingham, Dynamic Health, and CHOP.

Madyson graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in chemistry and minors in business and history. During her time at Auburn, she served in multiple leadership positions and dedicated her time to service organizations. Madyson was an active member of the Student Government Association and served as a member of Freshman Forum (2017-2018), vice president of the College of Science and Mathematics (2018-19), Senator for the College of Science and Mathematics (2019-20), assistant vice president of University Operations (2019-20), and as a campaign manager for multiple student elections. She also served as director of Recruitment Operations for Auburn’s Panhellenic Council, vice president of Phi Lambda Upsilon, and an Emerge student leader. In addition, Madyson volunteered her time as a Campus Kitchens shift leader. She helped reduce food waste and insecurity on Auburn’s campus and as a member of Global Medical Training, where she traveled to Peru and the Dominican Republic to help provide free health care to underserved populations.

Whenever she isn’t studying, Madyson enjoys spending her time swimming, hiking, tap-dancing, and baking. She also works to practice her clinical skills by practicing patient interviewing, physical examination, and educating herself on relevant topics in medicine to prepare herself for her future career.

An initiate of the University of Maryland, College Park’s Sigma Circle, Jacob Veitch graduated in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science with a major in international business and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in government and politics. He served as the Sigma Circle’s co-director of events from January 2017 to May 2017 before serving as circle president from May 2017 to May 2018.

Currently, Jacob serves as a business technology analyst in Deloitte Consulting’s Global Public Sector practice. In this role, he provides thoughtful analysis of federal programming and constructive solutions to address some of our country’s greatest national security challenges. Jacob accepted this role after previously interning at Deloitte, the Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Congress.

During his time at the University of Maryland, Jacob served in a variety of leadership roles, including chairman of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans, president of the University of Maryland College Republicans, legislator in the Student Government Association, a member of the Community Committee of the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ Dean’s Student Advisory Council, and co-chair of the Robert H. Smith School of Business’ Honors Program. Upon graduating, Jacob was recognized as the recipient of the University of Maryland’s prestigious H.C. Byrd Citizenship Prize for Men.

Outside of his daily work responsibilities, Jacob currently serves as a volunteer member of the American Conservation Coalition’s policy team. In this role, he generates written reports regarding our global climate challenge, American energy independence, and the need for a renewed focus on conservation. Jacob is proud to be part of a team that is changing the climate narrative in the conservative community. In addition to this role, Jacob also plans to leverage his role at Deloitte to complete pro-bono consulting projects in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

This dedication to service was also crucial to Jacob’s college career, where he participated in numerous charitable efforts. Most notably, Jacob served as a volunteer campus tour guide, and later as the group tour coordinator for Maryland Images: Campus Tour Guides. In this role, he oversaw the logistics for more than 80,000 campus visitors each year, ensuring that every future Terp felt welcome at Maryland. Jacob continues this dedication to service today as a volunteer member of Omicron Delta Kappa’s National Student Advisory Board and Finance Committee.

Jenna Walmer was initiated into the Bridgewater College Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa during her junior year. She served as a delegate at the 2018 Biennial National Convention and Leadership Conference and the 2019 Conclave. She is currently serving on the 2018-21 Student Advisory Board and the Society’s National Awards Committee.

Jenna is currently a Ph.D. student in the social psychology program at Syracuse University. She will be conducting research broadly on dehumanization, intergroup bias, and prejudice reduction. Jenna is also currently a teaching assistant for foundations of human behavior.

Prior to her studies at Syracuse, Jenna completed her Bachelor of Arts with a major in global studies with a concentration in German studies at Bridgewater College. She also studied abroad at Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany, and Oxford University. In addition, Jenna completed two masters degrees at West Chester University: M.A. with a major in Holocaust and genocide studies and M.S. with a major in general psychology. She co-authored a chapter on diary research methods in higher education.

Outside of academia, Jenna spends her free time coaching youth swimmers. During her time at West Chester, she coached at Upper Mainline YMCA (UMLY) in Berwyn, Penn. There, she led their 9-10 year olds program, assisted with senior-level groups, and operated the summer league team as the head coach. Jenna also attended the 2021 Paralympic Trials with an UMLY athlete. Currently, she is an assistant age group coach for the Syracuse Chargers Swim Team.