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University Service Award: Faith Howard

The University Service Award is given to a senior student who has provided outstanding service to the university through: (1) student involvement in such areas as sports, fraternity/sorority affiliations, intramural, student government, student organizations, the Northerner, etc.; (2) student involvement in civic organizations or agencies such as Easter Seals, Redwood, Boys Club, YMCA, Boy and Girl Scouts, Welcome House, etc.; and (3) academic achievement such as student publications, student presentations, grade point average, etc. While a minimum grade point average of 3.00 is required, the individual's academic record should be given equal weight with student involvement in both university and community activities. This award will be presented upon completion of degree requirements. The award does not have to be given if the committee determines there are no suitable nominees during a particular year.  The Northern Kentucky University Alumni Association sponsors this award.
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During her time at Northern Kentucky University, Faith Howard has continuously found new ways to help others.

Faith, a political science major and pre-law minor, has a lot on her plate at any given time. But the pitcher for the Norse softball team has taken the initiative to create Pitching and Hitting with Faith Howard, which allows her to use her softball skills to instruct girls between the ages of 8-15 in hitting and pitching. Several of her students became members of the 2018 Little League World Series championship team.

Faith is also a member of the NKU Student Advisory Committee and NKU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as well as having served as a student reviewer for NKU’s Institute for Student Research and Creativity Journal in 2020 and as a peer tutor in 2019.
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"Your experience here at NKU really is what you make of it ... The more you get involved, the more you find what you are passionate about and find people who help you reach your goals."

Faith’s service extends outside the NKU community to many local projects and causes, such as the Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy and the Special Olympics. Her service has even reached other countries during two mission trips in the Dominican Republic, where she aided in building houses and in running sports camps, and when she partnered with the Feed My Starving Children campaign to supply food to children in Haiti. 

How does someone with such a busy schedule stay focused?

“I think about the version of myself I want to be in the future and think about what it is I need to do to get myself to be that person,” she explains.

It also helps that Faith is able to spend so much of her time at her favorite spot on campus: the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field.

“It’s a place where I can lose myself in what I love and decompress from the stress of school,” she says.

After graduation, Faith is looking forward to starting her graduate studies at Virginia Tech. She would love to become a political science professor or a lawyer—determined to turn her passion of helping others into a career.

Her advice to other students is to get involved on campus.

“Your experience here at NKU really is what you make of it. Get involved, meet new people, join clubs, do research, travel and get involved in whatever ways you can,” she says. “The more you get involved, the more you find what you are passionate about and find people who help you reach your goals.”

About This Article

Danielle Heiert
Danielle Heiert
Editorial Intern, NKU Magazine
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Published May 2021
Photography by Scott Beseler
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