Disability Resource Center's Annual Recognition Reception Honors Faculty, Student Scholars
December 3, 2019
In 2004, Kimberly Wolf was living in Washington, D.C., and her future looked bright. Only 24 years old, she knew her career would be focused on helping older adults navigate their remaining years. Motivated by her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s, Wolf worked at AARP by day and pursued a graduate degree in social work by night.
“Imagine we met again in 2016,” she said. “I would be living in Iowa, and I would tell you that I never finished graduate school. Depression, PTSD, a divorce, a serious car crash and a neurological disorder called misophonia had come between me and my degree.”
Fast forward to 2018 when Wolf moved to Athens. In the course of four weeks, she unpacked her boxes, began her journey as a University of Georgia student—and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I never thought I’d be juggling chemotherapy and a double mastectomy with writing papers and taking exams,” Wolf said. “I had every excuse to put my dreams on hold, but I stayed in school full time throughout this ordeal and maintained a 4.0 GPA. In 2021, I will graduate with a Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Heath in gerontology, the study of aging.”
Wolf, who received the Joe Coile Memorial Scholarship, was one of 29 UGA students awarded a scholarship at the Disability Resource Center’s annual Student and Faculty Recognition Reception on Nov. 14 in Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center.
Leah Carmichael, a lecturer in the international affairs department of the School of Public and International Affairs, was also recognized. Victor Wilson, vice president for student affairs, presented her with the Outstanding Faculty Award in recognition of her work to reformat the international law class she teaches and make it universally accessible. Carmichael thanked the DRC for giving faculty members clear pathways to improve content, classrooms and approaches so that everyone has access to the same level of education.
The DRC assists more than 1,900 UGA students per year by providing them with help navigating campus, extra time on tests, note-takers and anything else they might need to succeed.
In addition to Wolf, the students who were recognized and the scholarships they received are Christopher White, the Betty and Joe Satterthwaite Memorial Scholarship; Jocelyn Tran, the Margaret C. Totty Memorial Scholarship; You Jin Ha and Dorsa Hanaei, the Choate Family Scholarship; Jala Johnston, the Radcliff Scholarship; Braden Rapp, the John and Frances Mangan Family Scholarship; Chyann Hoyle, the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship; Zachary Kumpula, the Matthew Peddicord Memorial Scholarship; Abby Joannes, the Dale Gibson Memorial Scholarship; Brendon Boyle and Brennan Heyer, the Hamilton Family Scholarship; May Dartez, the Janis Family Scholarship; Hannah Maddux, Chatania Meyer and Madison Seagraves, the Weldon H. Johnson Access Abroad Award; Emily Deaton, the Margaret Ann Towson Scholarship; Caleb Dills, Thang Lieu and Gletta-Elizabeth Reneé Appelt, the Gregory Charles Johnson Scholarship; Kristen Dunning, the Elizabeth and J.C. Faulkner Scholarship; Trenton Draper, Runiya Juni Dasgupta and Meredith Lynn, the Lupuloff Family Scholarship; Lauren Coheley, Selina Yilmaz and Halsey Jennings, the Michael E. Merriman Memorial Scholarship; Mary Jones, the Orkin Family Scholarship; and Zachary Thorman, the Carey Louis Davis Scholarship.