Timiya Ray ’20: DU Star Focuses on Serving a Greater Purpose

Fall 2020 Dominican Magazine



Though Timiya Ray’s official Commencement address to classmates, families and friends was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Dorothy Reiner Mulroy Award winner has an important message to share with the Dominican community and beyond. “I want to share with everyone to 'find your purpose in life.’



I knew as an adolescent that I had a purpose beyond myself, and these past four years at Dominican, I have found that my purpose is to help others.” she says.



Recruited to play for the women’s basketball team, the Hammond, Indiana, star chose Dominican because it was where she felt most welcomed and comfortable. As a student-athlete, Ray excelled on the court throughout her career, earning recognition as the 2020 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Woman of the Year, and named team captain and three-time team MVP. Off the court, she is celebrated campuswide for her engagement and leadership activities. Ray was a resident assistant for two years, served on the university’s Diversity Council and Black Student Union, was a mentor coach for “The Village,” Dominican’s leadership development program and active in planning mental health wellness events with the campus Wellness Center. These accomplishments and her cumulative 3.77 GPA solidified her selection as the recipient of the Mulroy Award, the university’s highest student honor.



Yet, it was amidst the awards, accolades and accomplishments that Ray’s passion for activism and her purpose of helping others was ignited. As a project for a video production course, and with the support and guidance of Chief Diversity Officer Sheila Radford-Hill, Ray produced a documentary entitled “I Am A Survivor” addressing the experiences, challenges and lingering effects of sexual assault and molestation. Compelled by experiences in her own family and from many brave students who came forward to share their stories, she embarked on what she now sees as a lifelong commitment.



“I was a witness to horrible experiences and I decided this is how I can make a difference and propel action in a new directions,” she says. Her plan is to create an online resource to promote healing and justice for survivors, and to advocate, educate and promote justice system reform related to sexual assault prosecution.



Fulfilling her desire to “live in the present,” Ray just launched her first music EP entitled “Eventually” featuring her own original songs. It is the culmination of a project she started last year when she received a Dominican Excellence in Experiential Learning (ExcEL) Scholar Award. Plus, the newly minted graduate is continuing her athletic training with the hope of playing basketball internationally when the pandemic subsides. In addition, she is putting her degree in graphic design to work on a range of creative projects for a number of clients.



Though her student days are just barely behind her, Ray treasures the many relationships with staff, faculty, and friends she built at Dominican. “I am so grateful for Paul Simpson (director of civic learning), Sara Furlette-Koski (athletic trainer) and my coaches who saw me as an individual and were mentors to me. These relationships are so important and meaningful.”