Winnie Ho ’19 has received the 2019 Campus-Community Leadership Award. The annual honor, given by the Division of University Relations, is presented to a graduating senior who has shown exceptional town-gown leadership and innovation.

Ho, a native of Syosset, New York, is a biological sciences and sociology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, with minors in global health and inequality studies. Following graduation in May, she will be a research assistant at the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She then plans to pursue medicine or public policy.

Ho was honored by University Relations for her active participation and leadership on a number of shared town-gown interests, through her work as an ambassador for Engaged Cornell, with the Gamma Chapter of the co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, and other philanthropic initiatives.

Ho’s efforts to support the Drug Policy Alliance, Southern Tier AIDS Program, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, The Sophie Fund, Mental Health Association in Tompkins County and other local nonprofits reflect “a dedication and empathy for our diverse communities and the common good,” said Joel Malina, Cornell vice president for university relations.

“Winnie Ho has distinguished herself with her tireless advocacy for local overdose prevention efforts,” said Katharine Celentano, state policy coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance based in Ithaca. “Not only has her work helped save lives, but this engagement allowed Winnie to develop real interest in social policy and how medicine is practiced.”

Said Malina: “Cornell students continue to lead with intelligence and commitment on campus, in nearby communities and around New York state. Winnie’s accomplishments are nothing short of inspirational, and we know she’ll make her alma mater proud well into the future. Like previous Campus-Community Leadership Award winners, Winnie Ho truly embodies Cornell’s public engagement mission.”