Tuck’s Dia Draper Honored with Dartmouth Holly Fell Sateia Award
Draper, director of strategic initiatives at Tuck, has spent most of her career focused on building an inclusive community that welcomes and nurtures diversity.
“This is what I was put on Earth to do,” says Draper.
Each year during Dartmouth College’s annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., Dartmouth recognizes members of the community for their significant contributions toward peace, civil rights, education, public health, environmental justice, and social justice.
The event is co-sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, and the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact.
This year’s Jan. 25 celebration in Filene Auditorium began with music from the student group the Rockapellas, who sang versions of two songs by Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Dartmouth Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Evelynn Ellis praised the 2018 awardees for standing up for justice in the face of sometimes disheartening setbacks.
“Your moral values outweighed your fatigue, your commitment to justice outweighed your doubt in the possibility of social justice for all Americans. Your love of humanity outweighed somebody else’s hate,” Ellis said.
Among those recognized was Dia Draper, director of strategic initiatives at Tuck, who was honored with the Holly Fell Sateia Award.
Draper has spent the past 12 years helping increase diversity and inclusion at Tuck and mentoring students throughout Dartmouth, including at LGBTQIA+ living learning community Triangle House, where she resides with her wife and 30 undergraduates. But she told the audience she originally intended a career in business, not diversity.
“I’m a magical unicorn: Black, gay, and female, and I struggled with that for a while, and resisted it. I was like, I’m not doing that—I’m a double-degree accountant.” But looking back over her choices, she says, “This is what I was put on Earth to do. My one word is ‘connect.’ All of my gifts and my talents, and the things I give a damn about, are about connecting.”
Read the full story from Dartmouth News.
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