Minority faculty, AIDS patients, elementary school students, and African American, Asian American, international and handicapped students, among others, have benefited from the vision and hard work of these awardees. The University Senate Committee on Diversity sponsors the awards program in cooperation with the Office of Human Resources. Making others feel welcome is important to Andrea Balas. During her time as a graduate student in science and math education at Ohio State, Balas has consistently gone out of her way to ensure that all students are comfortable. Balas plays an important role for many new graduate students.
Balas also works to make the classroom a welcoming environment for all students.
She has designed curricula to be used in informal settings for students who don't learn well in traditional environments, and has spent six years working with a Girl Scouts program to provide the girls with extraordinary experiences in learning math and science. For her efforts, Balas has earned the respect of her peers as well as the students she has mentored. Erica E. Estep Residence hall director for housing and food services Erica Estep advocates for diversity, one person at a time. Estep has formed many worthwhile relationships through her efforts to raise awareness of AIDS and HIV issues, her commitment to community service, her role as an adviser for three black student associations, and her mentoring of students through the Office of Minority Affairs Retention Services. Estep donates her time to Project Open Hand, a community service agency that delivers prepared meals to individuals who have HIV or AIDS, and to People Living with AIDS by preparing and delivering nutritionally enriched whole-food meals.