Celebrating the legacy of the civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oakland University welcomed author and actress, Anika Noni Rose to deliver a speech for the Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award recipients.
The annual event hosted by the Center for Multicultural Initiatives (CMI) congratulated seven OU students who demonstrated exceptional leadership through their involvement on campus and in the community by breaking down racial and cultural stereotypes.
“We honor these incredible, amazing students who you just heard about, our students whose character and concern for humanity distinguishes them as keepers of the dream,” OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz said. “A dream that was articulated by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr at the Lincoln Memorial in August of 1963. I had the privilege, of course, of sitting there on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on that day, and I, like thousands of others, know that that dream is a dream that continues to resonate across American History.”
The 2025 scholarship winners were:
- Studio Art and Clinical Diagnostic Sciences major, Thy Hoang
- Nutritional Science major, Fatoumata Samb
- Dance major with a K-12 Dance Education certification, Aliyah Spears
- Political Science major with a specialization in Courts, Politics and Justice, Mackenzie Smith
- Clinical and Diagnostic Science major with a specialization in Pre-Physician Assistant, A’Miya Dural
- Science in Health Sciences and Pre-Medical Studies major, Amber Harris
- Film Production major, Nia Matthews
“I’m so happy to be here today to celebrate seven magnificent students,” CMI senior director, Omar Brown-El, said. “Seven students who have gone through a process to be in front of you today through their hard work, their dedication, their energy, their effort, the support of their family, support of their faculty and the support of their staff, and I’m very pleased to announce those students to you later in our program.”
Brown-El explained that the scholarship application is annually available for students who have a 3.0 or better GPA, leadership positions on campus and who have improved race relations at OU.
After each winner received her award and ovations, they presented a quick biography video for the audience in the Banquet Rooms of the Oakland Center, Brown-El introduced the keynote speaker, Anika Noni Rose.
“Anika Noni Rose is known around the world for Princess Tiana, and Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’ featuring the first African American Disney princess,” Brown-El said. “She currently serves as Afia in ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ movie, and she currently starred in the critically acclaimed revival of Uncle Vanya on Broadway.”
Rose started her speech by thanking the audience, the award winners, a singer and a sign language translator who accompanied the event. “A tough time for dreams,” Rose explained, which appeared to also be a time for dreams following the example of the seven award-winning students.
“Most times when people think of dreams, I think they think of untenable things, and that, I think, is the way most good dreams start,” Rose said. “I think your dream should make your soul shiver a little when you think of it. That doesn’t mean it has to be huge, but it should require some effort of body and spirit.”
Before a Q&A session that culminated the event, Rose ended her empowering speech about community building through perseverance with a note on the potential of love in all of its forms.
“Do not be afraid to love fully in doing so you will be better prepared to share yourself and utilize yourself and your dreams to shift the air and therefore the world,” Rose said. “For make no mistake, you are the keepers of the dream, And I cannot wait to see who you become.”
