Filip wins ‘Realizing the Dream’ award
University of Indianapolis sophomore Jackie Filip was selected on Nov. 6 for the “Realizing the Dream” award.
The honor was sponsored by the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and carried with it a $2000 grant for Filip’s education.
One student from each of the 31 member schools of the ICI is selected for the award each year. Private universities all over the state are members of the ICI, and each institution selects one student to recieve this honor.
Sophomore Jacki Filip earns $2,000 grant with award. Photo by Kenny Norman.
The selected students are all first-generation college students who have exemplified academic success and leadership in their first year attending college.
“Honors like this encourage you to work even harder,” Filip said. “I am excited to have an honor like this one on my resume.”
Filip, an exercise science major, hopes to attend UIndy’s Krannert School of Physical Therapy after completing her undergraduate degree.
She stays busy preparing for physical therapy school. Filip hopes to complete her undergraduate degree in three years rather than the traditional four years so she can enter the graduate program as soon as possible.
Even while juggling the added coursework of this entails, Filip maintained a 3.96 GPA her freshman year.
Mindy Mayol, faculty instructor of kinesiology, described Filip as patient with a positive outlook on life.
“I am not shocked that Jackie was selected for the award, but I am very proud,” Mayol said.
Filip said that she always knew she wanted to attend college.
“Not attending college was never really an option for me,” she said. “I just woke up one day and knew I wanted to go to school and be a physical therapist.”
As part of the “Realizing the Dream” award, Filip was asked to select a teacher who helped her pursue a college education.
The Kokomo, Ind. native selected her high school teacher Rick Parsons to share in the honor with her.
Parsons taught Filip’s anatomy and physiology classes at Kokomo High School, where Filip graduated 18th in her class of more than 400 students.
Parsons, who has since retired from Kokomo High School, also attended UIndy. Additionally, because Filip chose Parsons to receive the awardwith her, he will receive $1000 from ICI, as well.
The awards were presented at a ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel on Shadeland Avenue in Indianapolis.
“My family came to the banquet and so did Mr. Parsons,” Filip said. “I didn’t know he had been an athlete at UIndy until they mentioned it at the ceremony.”
Each year, the recipients are presented their awards by an ICI board member. At this year’s ceremony, University of Indianapolis President Beverley Pitts distributed the awards. Pitts offered Filip a special congratulations, which Filip said meant a lot to her personally.
“This was a very humbling experience for me,” Filip said. “It was good to be recognized for the things I’ve done.”
Mayol, who was the instructor of Filip’s honors course for Wellness and Fitness, thinks Filip was a great choice for this award.
“In class, in the hall, anywhere, Jackie always had a question to ask and a smile on her face,” Mayol said.
