The Gene Mitchell Gray Pioneer Award recognizes a student or group for promoting cultural diversity and enrichment on campus.
Kandice Duncan
Kandice Duncan has made it her mission to help underrepresented students settle in on campus and find success. As the chair of the Multicultural Mentoring Program and a student assistant in the Office of Multicultural Student Life, Duncan has mentored first-year students in their transition to college and provided both professional and academic support to students. “She is what every mentor strives to be,” a staff member wrote. “She is compassionate, studious, driven, and empathetic.” Duncan has also taken her passion for helping underrepresented populations into the larger community by volunteering as a Building Blocks mentor for youth and a Girl Talk mentor for young women. Through both organizations, she is helping to empower youth to become the best versions of themselves and advance both socially and through education. A senior majoring in kinesiology with a minor in public health, Duncan plans to pursue a master’s degree in health administration.