Governor appoints new OHIO student trustee 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed a new student member, Sarah O. Ladipo, to the Ohio University Board of Trustees.

Ladipo, of Pickerington, Ohio, a sophomore studying philosophy with a war and peace certificate, will serve a two-year term effective on May 14, 2021, and ending on May 13, 2023.

“On behalf of my fellow Trustees, I would like to give a warm welcome to Sarah,” Board Chair Janelle Coleman said. “We believe that Sarah will help to ensure that students’ perspectives and needs are part of the equation when decisions are made for our institution. We look forward to collaborating with her as she begins this new role, which is of great value to the Board.”

“I am so very honored to be a student trustee,” Ladipo said. “I want the students at OHIO to know that I’m their student trustee … I want to engage with Bobcats in the community, to listen to them, and help them feel like their voices are being heard.”

Ladipo recently received the Student Achievement Award for the Philosophy Department, and is also a Cutler Scholar.

She is a part of many campus organizations, serving as vice commissioner on Student Senate, a Diversity Leadership Ambassador, and a Presidential Leadership Society member. Ladipo also has recently worked on Capitol Hill as an intern in Sen. Rob Portman’s office, aiding Ohioans. 

This summer, Ladipo will take part in a research apprenticeship at Gender Sci Lab at Harvard University, headed by OHIO assistant professor and Cutler Scholar Program director Dr. Myrna Perez Sheldon. While there, she will aid Sheldon’s ongoing work about the history of scientific and religious theories of race mixing, as well as the history of mixed-race women in the United States.

“I would like to congratulate Sarah Ladipo for her appointment to the OHIO Board of Trustees,” OHIO President M. Duane Nellis said. “Student Trustees play a critical role at OHIO, and I know that Sarah’s contributions to the Board will make a positive difference for our student body.” 

Ladipo is looking forward to working with the Board of Trustees, as well as listening to fellow classmates and hearing what is needed as Bobcats transition to being back on campus.

“I think the pandemic and being away for a year has definitely brought up problems [for many people],” Ladipo said. “I want to be intentional with doing diligent work in trying to know what messages I can pass on and be that bridge from the students to the Board of Trustees.”