March Extraordinary Leader: Kendall Hager
The Office of Student Life presents the Extraordinary Leader award to outstanding students each month. According to Gail Tuttle, vice president of Student Life, the entire HPU community – students, faculty and staff – make nominations, and the nominees are asked to complete an online survey about their academic, social and charitable involvement on campus and in the community. A committee of HPU administrators selects the students that best embody true leadership. Results are printed in the Campus Chronicle each month.
One thing is certain about sophomore Kendall Hager – she has a talent for helping others in amazing ways.
Hager has been heavily involved in the Special Olympics organization where she works with children who have mental and physical disabilities to give them a safe and fun environment to play sports and excel in athletics. When she arrived at HPU, she founded the university’s SO College Chapter. SO College is a national network of college students that engage in the missions of Special Olympics on campus.
In February, she bravely represented her home state of Colorado at the Special Olympics Hill Day in Washington, D.C. where she conducted ten presentations to members of Congress. Her presentations urged them to continue to support Project Unify – Special Olympics’ national school-based inclusion program.
And most recently on campus, she held the Ban the “R” Word event – a campaign to eliminate the derogatory use of the “R” word (retarded) in casual language.
“I hope I have impacted the HPU community through my advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities,” she says. “I believe strongly in the ideals of inclusion and respect for every person. It’s an especially important task on a college campus, because as the next generation of leaders, it is our responsibility to positively shape public consciousness.”
Her academics are as stellar as her volunteer work. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester she’s attended HPU, and as a special education major, she knows how she’ll use the education that she’s gaining now in her future.
“I plan to use my HPU education and experiences to start my teaching career, ideally working with very young children who have special needs,” she says. “I am fascinated by the enormous impact early educational and therapeutic interventions can have on a child, and I know it will be very rewarding to be a part of that kind of positive work. Special Olympics will always hold a major place in my life, and I will continue to coach and participate in their advocacy efforts.