UA Student Receives William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award

University of Alabama student Sakina Dhondia has received the 2019 William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award. The award honors a student who has improved relations among different groups. Past recipients have been chosen primarily for improving understanding and supporting interaction among groups for a common cause.

Dhondia finds that bringing people together for festivals - or even just coffee - can help UA students connect in ways they can't do alone.

Thanks to her work with the International Students Association and as director of cultural experiences and diversity for the Honors College Assembly, she helped put together activities that inspired interaction among the diverse student body of UA, including the International Coffee Hour, the Diwali festival and the Crimson Culture Gala.

Dhondia, a finance and economics major, moved with her family from Delft in the Netherlands and now lives in Tuscaloosa. She has served as treasurer, vice president and president of the International Students Association, as well as a design partner for the Design for American project and budget director for Night to Shine, an Honors College initiative that creates a prom-like experience for students with special needs. She also works with the Alabama Transportation Institute.

Her parents are Juzer and Rashida Dhondi.