Isabella Lane (she/they) is the recipient of the 2022-2023 Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award. Her Indigeneity goes back to Mexico, specifically the Chichimeca Tribe. She is currently a sophomore UNC student double majoring in Political Science and Public Policy, with a minor in Philosophy. She coins herself a bit of an “ideology nerd”.
During her time at Carolina, Isabella remains actively involved in the larger Chapel Hill community. She is now recognized as an intern at The Human Kindness Foundation due to her consistent and steadfast commitment to volunteering. There Isabella is the primary social media strategist seeking to uplift and amplify the voice of incarcerated people of color. The organization itself offers holistic and spiritual practices to help inmates survive the inhumane experiences of prison.
Furthermore, Isabella traveled to Washington, D.C. in hopes of decolonizing the justice system. Her definition of decolonization is the “solidarity of all peoples oppressed by colonial institutions or ideology.” She recently presented policy recommendations to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the Justice Department. She often reminds political leaders, some even from the Department of Interior, that the policies and laws they create are affecting REAL people; they are governing REAL people!
It is clear to see that Isabella is on a mission to change the criminal justice system, which in turn could change the world. We, at the AIC, are excited to announce her as this year’s recipient of the Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award.
More about the Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award:
The Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award was established in 2015 to celebrate and honor the life of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth by providing a female, sophomore UNC student with $1000 in funds to support their academic pursuits at Carolina. Faith was an active member of the Tar Heel community with aspirations of having a positive impact on her community after completing her studies. While Faith was unable to fulfill this dream in life, through this award students like Isabella receive support in pursuing similar goals while carrying on Faith’s legacy of service to the North Carolina American Indian population.
For more details, visit: https://americanindiancenter.unc.edu/initiative/aic-scholastic-awards-2/