LEXINGTON, VA (05/07/2024) Hannah Harris of Homer, Nebraska, has been named the 2024 Omicron Delta Kappa Gen. Russell A. Dougherty National Leader of the Year. This award is the highest honor presented to an undergraduate member of the Society each year.

Harris is a 2021 initiate of the Morningside University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in Sioux City, Iowa. She will graduate in May 2024 with a 4.0 GPA, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry. Harris will be the first in her family to graduate from college, and she has earned a scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska College of Medicine this fall.

“I feel incredibly honored to have received this award,” Harris said. “Serving my campus community for the past four years has meant the world to me. I am thankful for the connections I’ve made, the skills I have developed, and the leadership experiences ODK has given me.”

“I am thrilled to recognize Hannah, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, as the Gen. Russell A. Dougherty National Leader of the Year,” Jennifer Waller, ODK president and CEO, said. “This award celebrates an individual achievement that impacts and influences across our world.”

Her collegiate leadership experience at Morningside University included serving as vice president and later president of the Morningside Circle. As part of her ODK leadership roles, Harris organized the circle’s Into the Streets event, coordinating more than 800 student volunteers who served at more than 100 local nonprofit organizations in a one-day event.

“We are incredibly proud of Hannah,” Leslie Werden, faculty advisor for the Morningside University Circle, said. “She emulates intellect, strength, humility, and kindness in all projects she undertakes. She has imprinted her service-minded nature to our entire circle this year, providing a catalyst and spark for the entire campus.”

Harris also served as president of the Sustainable Environment Association for two years, president of the Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honor Society, two-year executive board member for the Chemistry Club, and vice president of the Pre-Professional Health Club. She worked as a Student Lead for Morningside’s orientation programs and is a recipient of the Faculty Award in Biology and the Outstanding Service to the Chemistry and Biology Department Award.

She is a graduate of the Connie Wimer Women’s Leadership Program and also served on the Faculty Sustainability Committee, Chemistry Position Search Committee, and Presidential Inauguration Committee.