The recipient of the Josephine Daggett Prize is selected by the faculty and the prize is awarded annually to
the fourth-year student deemed to be of the best character and conduct.
Three different faculty nominators spoke of this student’s rare intellectual ability, her relentless energy and
her commitment to helping others. These nominators are not alone.
A bioengineering major with a minor in global service, she is well on her way to a career in international
medicine. Besides her studies, she has spent countless hours volunteering in communities near and far.
Kenney Center. Ellis Hospital. A vocational school for orphaned girls in Ghana. The EDGE program to
encourage girls in engineering. STEM outreach programs with the Society for Women Engineers. These
are a few of the organizations that have benefitted from her energetic involvement.
She has been recognized by a variety of distinctions. Among them, she received a Kathryn Wasserman
Davis Projects for Peace Davis grant and a prestigious Watson Fellowship. She was only the second Union
student ever to receive a Truman Scholarship, the premiere scholarship for aspiring public service leaders.
One nominator wrote, “I am confident in predicting she will carry her engineering training with her
and leverage it, alongside her drive and personal qualities, to positively affect the lives of many, many
people. I have never come across a student who better exemplifies the highest aspirations of conduct and
character.”
It is my privilege to present the Josephine Daggett Prize to Emmanuela Oppong.