Spirit of Sinsinawa Award – Rashad Humphreys ’23
Each month during the school year, Dominican High School faculty & staff selects one student for the Spirit of Sinsinawa Award. The Spirit of Sinsinawa Award is given to an individual who goes above and beyond expectations and exemplifies Dominican’s five core values of truth, compassion, justice, community and partnership.
The Spirit of Sinsinawa Award recipient for November is Rashad Humphreys ’23. Rashad is an honor roll student, a Kairos retreat leader and a member of the Black Heritage Club and Dominican baseball team.
Q: What was your reaction when you find out you were the Spirit of Sinsinawa Award recipient for November?
RH: I was kind of shocked. I never knew what the award meant, but I knew the overtone. I was excited. I realized this was sort of a big deal. The most exciting part was that another person nominated me for that. Somebody sees how I am impacting the Dominican community.
Q: The teacher who nominated you said you’re a good role model and go out of your way to include kids in your class. Is that something you’ve always done? Why is that important to you?
RH: For the most part, I’ve always wanted to be a leader. I was always shy when I was younger, so this is something that I’ve picked up as I’ve gotten older. I’ve seen a lot of movies with someone being a leader and taking the initiative to go talk to that kid that’s sitting by himself. That kind of inspired me to be the person that I am. I think about, “What if I was that kid sitting by myself?” I’d want someone that’s an upperclassman to come over and talk to me and make me feel included.
Q: What Dominican teacher has made the biggest impact on you and why?
RH: Mrs. Lueck because she was the one teacher that would not let me fail. I’m not a strong math student, so she really took the extra steps to make sure that I’m getting all of the things I need to know for future classes and college.
Q: How has Dominican helped you grow as a person in and out of the classroom?
RH: In the classroom, the school has made me more disciplined. I take my schoolwork more seriously now instead of just brushing it off and doing it later. Out of the classroom, it’s made me more involved in my community. I remember all the retreats and service trips I’ve been on at Dominican. I like to help in my community more whenever I get the opportunity, through food drives, helping at church, things like that. I love being a big help whenever possible.
Q: What advice would you give to your peers and the next generation of Dominican students?
RH: Schoolwork first, but also have a developed social life at the same time. If you have a big paper coming up, prioritize the paper. Manage your time wisely. But also, if you have a friend that’s like “Hey do you want to go to Culvers for a quick bite?”, say yes. Just make sure you have your priorities straight.