UC college wins two leadership awards during annual Onyx & Ruby Gala

From within the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology (CECH), both Dr. Angelica Hardee and Corin Manning received prestigious awards for the gala. Dr. Hardee, a CECH alumna, was honored with the Emerging Leader Award, while Manning secured the Student Trailblazer Award. Of the evening’s six award winners, Manning — a senior Information Technology student — was the sole undergraduate recipient. With the Trailblazer Award, she was recognized as a student who embodies leadership qualities, is extremely involved in the campus community and who blazes a trail for ongoing progress – inspiring fellow students along the way.

In addition to being a full-time IT student, Manning serves as a student success coach for the IT program; co-President of Women in Technology at UC; a member of Bearcat Coders, IT Proud and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society; and a repeat co-op student at Rockwell Automation. Many of these involvements have stemmed from Manning’s passion for IT and her desire to guide others with similar interests.

“I knew that I wanted to be in IT when I was around 14 or 15 years old,” Manning said. “I started coding through a coding camp called “IndeedWeCode.”

“Corin is an agent of change and is preparing the next group of young ladies to be that change,” Jones said. “She's fearless, determined, tenacious and is embodying the legacy of Marian Spencer. What she did was not cower down, but she used her voice. She used her voice to blaze a trail for people of color who look like me to say we deserve more."

The Marian Spencer Scholarship was created to support up and coming Black students at UC. While the Marian Spencer Scholarship didn't exist yet when Manning first enrolled at UC, she is a recipient of the Darwin T. Turner Scholarship, which is awarded to select undergraduates from underrepresented groups. 

Dr. Angelica M. Hardee, a CECH alumna and professor, was the 2024 recipient of the Onyx & Ruby Gala’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes recent alumni emerging as influential leaders and contributing to their communities and respective fields of expertise. Holding three degrees from CECH in public health and global health systems, Hardee has proven to be a strong figure within the CECH alumni base. Currently serving as the Vice President of Community Impact at the American Heart Association, Dr. Hardee leads initiatives in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to address critical health issues such as hypertension, e-cigarette use and access to healthy food.

As an adjunct assistant professor at both the University of Cincinnati and Tulane University, Dr. Hardee continues to contribute to higher education, focusing on public health program planning, development and evaluation. Beyond her roles in academia and community health, Dr. Hardee is involved in various governing boards, including the City of Cincinnati Primary Care, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, Cancer Justice Network Board and UC Dean’s Community Advisory Board.

In recognition of her accomplishments as a leader, Dr. Hardee has received numerous awards, including the YWCA Rising Star Leaders in 2021, the National Urban League Washington Bureau's Certificate in Advocacy in 2018 and the Lead Tribune Media Group’s 2018 Healthcare Leadership Award. She continues to make significant contributions to her community and fields of endeavor, embodying the spirit of an emerging leader. Check out the full list of 2024 Onyx & Ruby Gala awardees.