RESPECT Peer Education Interns Receive Outstanding Peer Education Awards

Photo Submitted

From left, Braylin Allison and Ivan Bibiano

Two RESPECT interns were among those honored at the BACCHUS Initiatives of NASPA 2019 Meeting of the Minds Region IV-W Spring Conference held last month in Kansas City.

Both awards honor students who have shown tremendous commitment to their peer education group over the course of their enrollment as a student, as well as their ongoing contributions to health and safety issues within their communities.

RESPECT, short for Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought, is a peer education program of Pat Walker Health Center's STAR central office, and has been recipient of numerous BACCHUS awards as well.

Congratulations to Braylin Allison, recipient of the 2019 NASPA-BACCHUS Initiatives Region IV Outstanding Peer Education Alumni award, and senior Ivan Bibiano recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Peer Education Senior award.

"Being a peer educator with RESPECT has impacted me in many ways. It has especially helped me expand my knowledge and become more confident. RESPECT taught me the importance and impact raising awareness can have, as well as the importance of working very hard for things you care about.

I was honored just to be nominated, so actually being awarded Outstanding Peer Education Alumni is so surreal.

RESPECT changed my life. I encourage anyone at the University of Arkansas to become involved in anyway that they possibly can, because truly, anyone can make a difference." — Braylin Allison, Class of 2018

"As a peer educator for RESPECT, I learned the most profound changes in how we think about sexual violence can happen natural conversations. Approaching this sensitive topic as a peer talking to fellow peers, unravels so much of the ambiguity that would otherwise remain if sexual assault was taught like a PowerPoint lecture. Serving as a peer educator has shown me the need to make authentic connections in order for a message to feel real and leave a lasting impact.

Receiving the award was initially a shock to my system. Of course, all of my successes begins with the overwhelming confidence I have in the entire RESPECT team. I am consistently motivated by the hard work my fellow interns put in, and the results of our teamwork frankly make our campus a better place.

I highly encourage students to consider this internship if they want to make a difference in how we collectively perceive and prevent sexual violence." — Ivan Bibiano, senior.