BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh football student-athlete Divine Buckrham and Bucknell women's basketball student-athlete Abby Kapp are the recipients of the 2020-21 Patriot League Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character. Buckrham and Kapp were selected by the Senior Woman Administrators (SWA) from each of the League's member institutions.
Buckrham is the sixth Lehigh student-athlete and third football player to receive the honor. Kapp is the sixth Bucknell student-athlete and third women's basketball player to garner the accolade.
The Patriot League established the Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character to recognize and honor individuals who demonstrate excellence in leadership and service while participating in Patriot League athletics. One male and one female student-athlete have been recognized since the award's inception in 2011-12.
Provided the minimum conduct standards are met, any Patriot League student-athlete or team is eligible for the award. The definition of leadership and character for this award includes but is not limited to any of the following ideals: demonstrated leadership on the "field" of competition and within the campus community; promotes a leadership vision for the betterment of one's team or teammates; mentorship of teammates; role model on campus; active participation in on-campus and/or community service projects; perseverance in overcoming hardships; demonstration of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Divine Buckrham
Lehigh University Football
Buckrham, a senior captain and four-year starter in the Lehigh football defensive backfield, has been recognized as a leader by his teammates and coaches throughout his time in Bethlehem. However, the rest of campus became aware of his voice during his senior year.
The Queens, N.Y. native was not new to leadership. As a three-year elected member of the Lehigh Football Leadership Council, he was used to speaking on behalf of his teammates with the coaching staff on a week-by-week basis. He has also helped initiate a Lehigh chapter of Uplifting Athletes, where he served as vice president for the organization designed to spread awareness and raise money for the rare disease community through the platform of DI college football.
"Divine is one of the hardest working, most motivated and well-rounded student-athletes I have known. He is a leader for the football team on the field, across campus and in the community," Lehigh Defensive Coordinator Mike Kashurba said. "He was a voice of positivity, encouragement, and resilience during the challenges of COVID-19. Divine was there to support and encourage his teammates and the staff through cancellations of spring practice, traditional football season, and a fall shut down. He was also instrumental as a bridge between the staff and players, demonstrating why he was elected by his teammates and coaches to serve as a captain of the team."
During a turbulent year, Buckrham provided an important voice and perspective to conversations on Lehigh's campus concerning social justice and racial equity.
Buckrham won a university-wide Lehigh University Anti-Racist Creative Idea Proposal contest. His suggestion? The idea of creating "Student-led Freshmen Seminars" to create spaces where students can have honest, open conversations with peers to talk about race in America and how to contribute to making meaningful change.
Though his work in that space was not limited to his ideas. Buckrham also served as the Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a member of the Elections Committee within the Lehigh Undergraduate Student Senate. In that role, he worked to foster a diverse, inclusive and equitable community at Lehigh while giving presentations about diversity and inclusion in front of the University's Board of Trustees.
On campus, Buckrham was voted as one of two undergraduate students to be part of an advisory committee to initiate and guide a review of the Lehigh University Police Department (LUPD). Buckrham and his counterpart were tasked with the goal of strengthening relationships between the LUPD and racial and ethnic minority communities at Lehigh and the surrounding community.
Within the athletics department, Buckrham assisted coaches of color in organizing the first Lehigh Student-Athletics of Color (SAOC) group to cultivate an inclusive and supportive environment. He also worked in the Lehigh Athletics DEI Alumni Relations Group's Visions subgroup toward making a more diverse, inclusive, anti-racist and equitable setting.
"I don't know how he has time to do it all," Kashurba said. "Divine has presented in front of the Board of Trustees. He has studied abroad. He has worked with all levels of the university and athletic department, been a team captain and leader, and worked with charity. He has done all this while carrying a full-time course load as a double major in Psychology and Health, Medicine and Society. On a personal level, he has become like family for me, my wife and my sons. It is a special treat for my boys when they get to FaceTime with Divine, and I love that they have him in their lives to look up to. Divine is all about helping to make everyone better and making this world a better place. He is a true ambassador of our program and school."
Abby Kapp
Bucknell University Women's Basketball
Kapp, a two-time All-Patriot League selection and the 2020-21 Patriot League Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, has excelled on the hardwood at Bucknell. Still, the impact made by the Bison career 3-point field goal leader away from the floor may be longer-lasting.
"In a year like no other, many Bucknell student-athletes rose to the challenge," said Bucknell Senior Associate Director of Athletics Jen Kentera. "Among them all, Abby Kapp stood out, not just in her ability to impart change on campus, but also for the manner in which she rallied student-athletes from across the entire Patriot League."
The Barto, Pa. native has long-held interests in social justice, public policy, women's rights and sustainability. But in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others, Kapp took action.
Despite school being out of session and her teammates spread around the country, Kapp organized virtual meetings to initiate conversations about the protests that stemmed from the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd. Soon after, she mobilized basketball student-athletes from around the League to launch the Patriot League Social Justice Coalition. Kapp and the student-athlete-organized group used newly-created social media channels to define their mission.
"As student-athletes, we will use our platform to advocate for change in our communities, on our campuses and throughout the Patriot League. Systemic racism plagues our society, and it must be addressed. Our members highlight what anti-racism and social justice work means to them and how we can envision a better, more equitable future," was the message shared on Twitter and Instagram.
The work continued for Kapp. Soon after the formation of the Patriot League Social Justice Coalition, she was nominated by Bucknell to take part in the Patriot League's newly-created Anti-Racism Commission. As a student voice on the Commission, she became an early advocate for the League student-athletes who wished to protest. She served as an intermediary between the student-organized Coalition and the League-led Commission in planning two Patriot League Pursuit of Anti-Racism Weekends and the design of the special warm-up shirts worn by student-athletes and coaches that outlined the shared goal "Unity, Respect, Activism."
Kapp's voice was equally sought after on campus at Bucknell and in the Lewisburg community. She was one of three Bison student-athletes named to the Bucknell Athletics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council to lend a student perspective on anti-racism and departmental action plans related to DEI. She also developed a comprehensive voter registration plan to increase voter participation among Bucknell students.
Through Bucknell's Office of Civic Engagement, she interned with the Shepherd Higher Consortium on Poverty in Lewisburg, participating in weekly assignments, reflections and coaching around civic engagement class, cultural competence and implicit bias. She also coordinated efforts among local organizations, including The Hub for Progress and the Envisioning Project, committed to social change throughout Central Pennsylvania. She worked with Pennsylvania State Senate candidate Michelle Siegel on her "Spotlight Orange" campaign platform.
Well-rounded may undersell the career achievements of Abby Kapp. In addition to her work on and off the court, she carries a 3.87 cumulative GPA as an economics major with a focus on public policy. But the leadership Kapp has displayed in every facet of her time at Bucknell will have a lasting impact on teammates and opponents alike.
"We couldn't be prouder of all that Abby has done to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity and anti-racism in our Bucknell community,” Bucknell women’s basketball Head Coach Trevor Woodruff said. “From day one she has led our efforts and this recognition is well deserved."
Patriot League Outstanding Leadership and Character Award Nominees
Other nominees for the 2020-21 Patriot League Outstanding Leadership and Character Award include, George Abunaw (Boston University men’s soccer), Katie Anderson (Colgate field hockey), Gavin Barclay (Lafayette football), Emily Devine (Holy Cross field hockey), Megan LaMendola (Navy women’s soccer), Shannon Ma (Boston University field hockey), Annie Maloney (Navy women’s lacrosse), Rick Mottram (Bucknell football), Senna Ohlsson (Loyola Maryland women’s track and field), Mariah Sexe (Lehigh women’s basketball), Andrew Ton (Navy men’s tennis) and Malik Twyman (Colgate football).
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.