Tillman Honors
Join hundreds of our supporters, investors, Tillman Scholars, and others for Tillman Honors 2023 on Nov. 2 to celebrate Pat’s legacy of service and leadership through action.
Interested in learning more or becoming a sponsor? Contact Development Director Mercedes Rohlfs at [email protected].
The Champion Award
The Champion Award celebrates Pat’s legacy and belief that we should always strive to be part of something bigger than ourselves, by recognizing an individual for remarkable civic contributions, extraordinary fortitude and spirit of service.
Bryan Stevenson
2022 Champion Award
This year, we proudly present the 2022 Champion Award to Bryan Stevenson for his tireless advocacy for a more just and equitable legal system.
Bryan Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. He has argued and won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court, and he and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced. He also led the creation of the Legacy museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and is the author of the bestselling memoir, Just Mercy.
Fawzia Koofi
2021 Champion Award
Jon Stewart & John Feal
2020 Champion Award
Sen. John McCain
2019 Champion Award
Kamau Murray
2018 Champion Award
Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
2017 Champion Award
Jon Krakauer
2016 Champion Award
Sebastian Junger
2015 Champion Award
The Make Your Mark Award
The Make Your Mark Award celebrates Pat’s legacy and belief that we should always strive to be part of something bigger than ourselves, by recognizing a Tillman Scholar for embodying the values of service, scholarship, humble leadership and impact in their work and daily life.
Bridgette Bell
2022 Make Your Mark Awardee
Bridgette Bell is a fourth generation soldier who incorporates military service into every aspect of her life. While in command, Bridgette spent 22 months analyzing and implementing suicide prevention strategies within her unit. She completed her master’s thesis on the Army Suicide Prevention Program and is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Jackson State University specializing in culture, trauma, and grief. She continues to invest herself in bettering the lives of others as the co-founder of Do More Together—the West Point Black & African American Alumni Organization, The ROCKS Inc., Strong Gray Line, Headstrong, and through her avid commitment to volunteering. Bridgette’s steadfast commitment to serving the Tillman Scholar community is founded in the idea of “What can I do?” Her efforts have culminated in strides made for veterans seeking access to mental health resources. Most recently, she was appointed to the Department of Defense’s Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military.
Rick Schumacher
Digital Dunkirk
2021 Make Your Mark Award
Kate Hoit
Digital Dunkirk
2021 Make Your Mark Award
Junaid Lughmani
Digital Dunkirk
2021 Make Your Mark Award
Jackie Munn
2020 Make Your Mark Award
Adrian Perkins
2019 Make Your Mark Award
Jason Turner
2018 Make Your Mark Award
Kimberly Jung
2016 Make Your Mark Award
Adrian Kinsella
2015 Make Your Mark Award
Service to School:
Tim Hsia & Khalil Tawil
2015 Make Your Mark Award
Chris Roessner
2017 Make Your Mark Award
Make Your Mark Talks
2021 Make Your Mark Talks
From Patient to PHD. Regeneration Requires a New Path
Jayme Hentig
In his Make Your Mark talk, originally given at the 2021 Tillman Honors, Tillman Scholar Jayme Hentig reflects on his journey from patient to PhD. Overcoming his fears and neurological deficits in pursuit of continuing service out of uniform and returning to the military community.
Jayme is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Notre Dame, where he has developed a novel blunt-force TBI model in regenerative zebrafish allowing for the examination of both the injury and the regenerative recovery. His work has been nationally recognized by the National Science Foundation, and he has identified injury-induced activated regeneration, the originating regenerative source, and replacement of lost and damaged brain tissue. He aims to further understand the complex gene regulation providing a potential neuroprotective and regenerative therapeutic to at-risk populations such as service members.
Cultivating the American Dream Through Early Intervention
Sadia Heil
In her talk, originally presented at 2021 Tillman Honors, 2020 Tillman Scholar Sadia Heil reflects on her the mental and emotional grit required to support and champion for her child with developmental delays through early intervention.
As a mother, an Air Force reservist, and a military spouse, Sadia is enthusiastic about advocacy and education. She holds a master of education in special education, with a focus on autism spectrum disorders. She envisions serving individuals with disabilities—the world’s largest minority—through teaching, advocacy, and helping the most vulnerable communities access the services they deserve.
Embracing Connectedness with Ourselves and Each Other
Dave Prakash
In his talk, originally presented at the 2021 Tillman Honors, 2017 Tillman Scholar Dave Prakash reflects on the role that connectedness played in his journey to understand who he is — and the reasons why we all need to embrace finding connectedness with ourselves and each other.
Dave Prakash left a career as a doctor to join the Air Force as a pilot after 9/11. He served 13 years on active duty, becoming an operational test pilot and flight surgeon. Dave left the Air Force in 2017 and became a Tillman Scholar, attending Stanford University. He studied business management and public policy for 2 years. Today, Dave works on artificial intelligence and machine-learning technology in healthcare and on future aerospace systems. In his free time, Dave advises early-stage companies and serves on the board of WomenHeart. He mentors anyone that asks (and many who didn’t) and likes to explore unusual ideas.
Our Sponsors & Partners
Without loyal support, our mission would go unfulfilled. Interested in supporting Tillman Honors? For sponsorship information, please contact our Development Team.
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