OSHAWA, Ont. – Former Ridgeback rower and curler, Hafsah Hoda-Sher was honoured to be recognized recently at the UOIT Student Leadership Awards as the recipient in the respect category.
 
Her involvement with the Ridgebacks began as a member of the rowing team in 2013 and lasted until 2018. She was also on the women's curling team in 2016-17 and capped off her time with the Ridgebacks as vice president of communications on the inaugural Ridgeback Leadership Council executive during the 2017-18 academic year.
 
Students nominated for the respect award respectively acknowledge or appreciate the perspectives and backgrounds of others and encourage others to do the same. Additionally, they influence or promote equitable practices within the UOIT community. Nominees must also be a UOIT student enroled in an undergraduate, graduate or professional program with a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher to be considered.
 
"It means a lot to win the student leadership award for respect because it acknowledges the effort I've put forth in creating an equitable and inclusive environment on campus for students from all walks of life," she said. "It means even more that I was nominated by the athletic department because being an athlete and being a UOIT ambassador have both played a large role in my personal identity on campus. Having both of them represented in my final award won at UOIT feels amazing."
 
Away from her involvement in athletics, Hoda-Sher seemed to try to be involved in as much as possible. She was an international orientation leader, helping new students in a multitude of ways including using the Durham transit system, helping get S.I.N. cards and phone plans setup – anything to help as they settled in a new country and university.
 
Academically her passion for science was evident as she was a member of Let's Talk Science, where she was volunteer of the month multiple times. In her role she went to schools in Durham Region to encourage kids to be interested and involved in science, which came full circle back on campus as she also volunteered for Science Rendez-Vous, where she inspired young minds about the joys of science.
 
Bringing some of the practices on campus back to athletics, Hoda-Sher brought the Respecting Individuals and Supporting Equity (RISE) program to the Ridgebacks. She worked with Jarred Cacnio to help educate the athletes on sexual harassment, racism and sexism. She used her roles as both an equity ambassador and an athlete to help Jarred tailor the sessions to the student-athletes.
 
"Many students attend university, but certainly not many leave such a lasting impact," said UOIT athletic director Scott Barker. "Hafsah had that impact on the athletics program, competing in two varsity sports and then leaving a legacy by being such an important part of the RLC. Her passion for inclusion and fairness made her a tremendous leader on campus."
 
Although she graduated in 2018, she continues to be involved with athletics as the continued leader of the RISE program with the Ridgeback student-athletes.