During the 33^rd annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Luncheon hosted by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association, the Lewis Honors College proudly selected senior Sara Dickens as its 2024 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award winner for her academic excellence and impact on others. 

“Winning this award means everything to me. To join a lineage of inspiring individuals was just the right motivation during one of the most challenging points of my life. I appreciate this honor and will hold it dear to my heart after graduation,” Sara said.

Originally from Washington, D.C., Sara knew no one when she arrived in Lexington – a fact that is hard to believe today. She has held leadership roles in Hues in Medicine, K Crew, Student Public Health Association, and in Honors during Lewis Launch and throughout the year as a peer mentor. She has seized opportunities across campus, from shadowing UK Healthcare professionals to interning at the Center for Health Equity Transformation to her ongoing volunteer work at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

A highlight among her many academic achievements is the research that started in her sophomore year as a Chellgren Fellow under Drs. Elizabeth Riley and Michael Cull. Her work, titled "Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement within the Child Welfare System”, was selected for the 2024 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and she traveled to California in April of this year to present as a representative of UK and the College of Public Health. “Throughout my research, I have been able to co-lead a project aimed at improving quality improvement within the child safety workforce by collaborating on interview design, conducting outreach, analyzing data, and reviewing secondary literature,” Sara said.

Finally, Sara helps her fellow students make Lexington their home, too, as a Resident Advisor in Haggin Hall. She is “that person” for so many, providing the support and space for her peers as they adjust to college life and are forced to step out of their comfort zones in order to thrive, as she has. Following her graduation next year, Sara intends to pursue an advanced degree to one day make a difference in the healthcare system.

Lyman T. Johnson was the first African American student at the University of Kentucky as a result of his successful lawsuit facilitating integration in 1949.