Each year the RCPD hosts an annual awards and appreciation reception at the end of the spring semester to honor the outstanding achievements of scholarship recipients, exceptional faculty and staff, and generous donors who support the RCPD mission. This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the RCPD and each award recipient demonstrates what it means to maximize ability and opportunity through ambition and innovation.
Tiffany Owen, Graduate Education Coordinator for the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program., is the recipient of the 2024 RCPD Spirit of Ability Award. This award is given to leaders within the MSU community who are compassionate and who create welcoming and inclusive environments that provide opportunities for all.
Tiffany joined MSU in 2012 working as a Research Assistant/Ultrasound Technician for the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) study in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. After the study ended in 2014, she became a Healthcare Assistant in the Psychiatry Department at the University’s Student Health Center. In this position, she witnessed some of the mental health struggles that college students can experience, many of which were within the graduate student population. She started her career with Graduate students in 2016 when she joined the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science as the Graduate Secretary. Then in October 2018, she joined the Biomedical Engineering Department as the Graduate Education Coordinator, working with students in all stages of their graduate school career. Her free time is spent with her family and giant dog Hendrix, spoiling her nephews, having kitchen dance parties, camping, and relaxing at her cabin in the U.P.
Tiffany exemplifies the spirit of ability through her leadership, compassion, and the belief that all students can reach their fullest potential no matter their disability—a true leader in maximizing ability and opportunity for all.
Congratulations, Tiffany!