On one of the biggest days of her life, Newman University graduate Ashley Dinh won the 2024 Leona J. Ablah Award.
Each year at commencement, one male and one female student are awarded the Ablah Awards. These awards were established by Fran and Geri (Ablah) Jabara to honor Geri’s parents, Harvey J. and Leona J. Ablah, and to perpetuate their vision of entrepreneurism and the American dream. Both award recipients must graduate with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and each student receives a monetary award.
A graduation day to remember
During Newman University commencement on May 10, Vice President of Academic Affairs Alden Stout read aloud from the words of Dinh’s nominators:
“Ashley is an ASC Service Award scholar who goes above and beyond the 45 hours of service each semester,” he read. “Another nominator stated, ‘She has an excellent academic record, but is also a leader in the classroom and student organizations. … Ashley not only believes in Newman’s core values, but she is also committed to living them beyond college.’”
Dinh was “honestly so surprised” to hear her name called as the winner.
“There were so many other great candidates as well as myself, but I’m super grateful for this award,” Dinh said with a huge smile. “Thank you so much to the committee for choosing me. I’ll be forever grateful for Newman and everything that they have done for me.”
Dinh chose Sister Therese Wetta, ASC, as her mentor and both will be pictured on a bronze plaque and added to the Ablah Award winner wall (located on the second floor of the DeMattias Gorges Atrium).
I am proud to be a part of the Newman community and I hope my time here showed how passionate I am for the success of the community.
Ashley Dinh, 2024 Ablah Award winner
Service at the heart of all Dinh does
Dinh is a Vietnamese American who is proud to share her heritage with others. Even beyond the heavy workload and demands of her biology degree and accounting minor, Dinh was highly involved as a leader on campus and lived out her Catholic faith everywhere she went.
She served as the service chair and vice president for the Newman Asian Student Association and as president of Newman’s Circle K International for three years. She was an active member of the Laudato Si environmental committee, as well as the Newman University Medical Professionals Club. Her service efforts on and off campus were numerous, but her most rewarding volunteer opportunities involved group events at The Lord’s Diner, ShowerUp and the Wichita Neighborhood Cleanup organization, she said.
One of Dinh’s biggest accomplishments as a student was bringing recycling back to the Newman campus, which she did after applying for and receiving a $400 grant through Kiwanis International. Her inspiration for submitting the grant proposal came from her time as a senator for the Newman Student Government Association.
“During my term as a senator we passed a bill for reusable containers for the cafeteria, so I thought it would be a great idea to bring recycling back to make the campus more environmentally friendly,” Dinh said. “With the collaboration with Sister Therese Wetta, ASC, and Scott Stardy, head of maintenance, I was able to fund and organize a sufficient plan to get recycling back on campus.”
Finding family on Newman’s campus
Dinh decided Newman University was the right place for her when she experienced the inclusive sense of community and support system from faculty and fellow students. It also allowed her to stay close to family while “learning how to thrive as a person.”
“For me, Newman is a place where I flourished because everybody was so welcoming,” she said. “The faculty and friends I made along the way truly cared about me.”
Dinh was recognized by The University of Kansas School of Medicine (KUSM) as part of its Urban Scholars program, which guarantees Dinh’s admittance to KUSM after graduating from Newman. She plans to enjoy a gap year of travel and reconnect with family and friends before she begins medical school and her future as an anesthesiologist.
To Dinh, success means creating and collaborating with others to make the world a better place. Several of her Ablah Award nominators affirmed that she made a powerful difference on campus and are confident she will do so wherever she goes.
“Newman University has assisted me a great amount in preparing for life and transforming society,” Dinh said. “I am proud to be a part of the Newman community and I hope my time here showed how passionate I am for the success of the community.”
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