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Two Theatre students are recipients of this year’s university-wide leadership awards.

Donovan Holt is the 2023 recipient of the Garnet Award, which recognizes one junior or third-year student who has demonstrated a commitment to the University’s values of leadership, volunteerism, academic integrity, and community impact, while also showing promise for even greater success at Northeastern in the future.

Donovan is a theatre major with a concentration in performance, and minor in human movement science. He is involved in the a cappella group, Downbeats, the Silver Masque Theatre Group and several theatre productions, (She Kills Monsters, Polaroid Stories, Everybody.) In 2022, Donovan was a joint Co-Op for The Huntington Theatre Co and The Front Porch Arts Collective, Boston’s premiere Black centered theatre company (which is in residence at the Huntington).

Donovan was nominated by Melinda Lopez, a professor of the practice in the Department of Theatre. Lopez noted in her recommendation that Donovan has “proved his capacity as a leader, as a human, as a person who is always ready to pitch in and make things better. He is extraordinary. He is modest. He does what needs to be done without ego.”

Ren Birnholz is the 2023 recipient of the Wendy Breen Kline Award, which recognizes a senior student who embodies a spirit of leadership and volunteerism, demonstrates leadership experience on campus, and displays a strong dedication to the greater community.

Ren is a cultural anthropology and theatre combined major and the president of NU Sexual Health, Advocacy, Resources, and Education. In 2022, they were invited to the White House to take part in a discussion of the ongoing and future impacts of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on reproductive rights with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Dani Snyder-Young, assistant professor of Theatre Arts, nominated Ren, noting they are “an authentic and confident leader who goes out of their way to find opportunities to support and contribute to their communities.

Congratulations to Donovan and Ren!