UD Junior Receives Prestigious Honor for Dedicated Leadership

Julia Bonfiglio
Staff Writer

Junior political science major Darius Beckham received the thirty third annual John E. Riley Award, which recognizes leadership on-campus grounded in the Marianist values.

Beckham, a Huber Heights native, is a Dayton Civic Scholar, the president of BATU (Black Action Through Unity) and a participant in the P.E.E.R.S. Mentor Program. He’s also a RA.
&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>

Along with these activities, Beckham is passionate about speaking, writing and poetry. He’s given speeches at several diverse and impressive locations, including the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton.

Beckham also writes a blog. His most recent post, entitled “Do It for the Culture,” addresses the potential of Sean “Diddy” Combs potentially being the first African American owner of a NFL team. More broadly, it also is about the importance of optimism.

Upon graduation, he hopes to work in local government and give back to the city of Dayton through public service.

These accomplishments are directly linked to the expectations and guidelines highlighted by the John E. Riley Award, as they all further the Marianist educational and service values espoused by UD

It comes with a $1,500 academic scholarship to be used toward tuition during the recipient’s senior year.
&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>&’ async type=’text/javascript’>

The award, given by the Division of Student Development, is in honor of John E. Riley, who was a committed member of the Dayton community for more than 30 years. During his career, he served as the director of the Counseling Center, acting vice president of Student Development and associate dean of students in Student Development.

The lasting impact that Riley had at UD inspired the criteria and meaning behind the award. The legacy of Riley continues to be carried on through the exemplary actions of dedicated students like Beckham.

The other outstanding finalists were Mayra Beaza, Rose Dyar, Jeremy Hill, Sarah Richard and Corinne Woodruff.