Congratulations to our 2025 Honos Civicus Honorees

Ashna Babani

Ashna is a graduate student specializing in Nutrition Interventions, Communication and Behavior Change. She has focused on student advocacy, community building, and equity during her time at the Friedman School. She served as Co-chair of the Student Council, Wellness representative for the Office of Student Wellness, and the student assistant for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), where she helped launch initiatives like the Summer Research Experience for undergraduates. Ashna also helped revitalize student engagement through fun activities, strengthened communication between students and administration and expanded DEI efforts across Friedman. Beyond campus, she operates an online private nutrition practice in India, offering subsidized services to promote health equity. Ashna has participated in community service initiatives including MLK Day of Community Action and Chinatown Cleanup amongst others. Her future is dedicated to helping people develop a better relationship with food, have sustainable, long-term health wins and giving back to the community.

Oluwatoyin Dorcas Jejelowo

As a graduate student at the Friedman School specializing in Nutrition Interventions, Communication, and Behavior Change, Oluwatoyin is deeply committed to maternal and child nutrition and advancing health equity. Her impactful journey began in Nigeria, where she led transformative campaigns that significantly improved maternal health outcomes in underserved communities. This foundational work deepened her resolve and set the stage for her continued advocacy and service. Upon relocating to the U.S., she engaged actively with the Friday Night Supper Program in Boston, providing essential nutrition to a diverse group of individuals grappling with food insecurity. She also volunteers her expertise to Community Servings, a non-profit organization that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals to those suffering from critical illnesses, aligning her efforts with her belief in health as a fundamental human right.

As she prepares to graduate, Oluwatoyin is poised to advance her career in community health, focusing specifically on research and practical interventions that enhance maternal and child nutrition. Driven by a personal mission to eradicate malnutrition and its devastating impacts on vulnerable populations, her future endeavors are fueled by an unwavering commitment to ensuring no mother or child suffers from preventable health issues.

Sharon Jimerson

As a Food and Nutrition Policy and Programs student, Sharon actively engaged in civic life, specializing in food culture, nutrition interventions, and behavior change. On the Delta GREENS Food is Medicine Project, she formulated organizational partnerships and created a culturally tailored cookbook and community newsletters to improve obesity and diabetes outcomes in the Mississippi Delta. As a Mississippian, she highlighted the Southern food culture and local farmers growing fresh produce. To empower community-led food system development, she led an asset-based Food Policy Council training, bringing together leaders, farmers, and residents. At Tougaloo College (an HBCU), Sharon lectured on food insecurity, challenging students to consider how zip codes influence food access. She coordinated one of the first historically Black college visits to Friedman and mentors college students domestically and globally. Furthermore, she organized a nutrition equity symposium at Friedman, developed grants for Mississippi food initiatives, and joined the HEAL Food Alliance. This fall, Sharon will attend the University of South Carolina to start her PhD in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. 

Birhan Mezgbo

Birhan is a Master of Arts in Humanitarian Assistance (MAHA) graduate student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to civic engagement through advocacy, community media, and research. During her studies time at Tufts University, she developed radio content for her She Heals, We Heal project, which was broadcast on a community station in Tigray. The radio program focused on referral pathways, sharing survivor stories from her earlier book and psychosocial support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Additionally, Birhan supported and collaborated on a fundraising event at SOAS University to raise awareness and mobilize support for organizations serving CRSV survivors. She also volunteered as a researcher for Petrified Survivors, a global memorial project honoring victims of CRSV, to ensure the inclusion of Tigrayan survivors. Birhan plans to continue her civic engagement through advocacy, community-based research, and humanitarian work focused on gender justice in conflict and post-conflict settings.