Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine named six students outstanding for the 2025-26 academic year, citing community health work that includes free clinics in Detroit and vision screenings across metro Detroit.

OUWB announced the honors Sept. 2. Three second-year students and three third-years earned the distinction, chosen by the Student Award Committee through evaluations of professionalism, honors, leadership, scholarship, inclusivity and service. OUWB has given the awards since 2012.

The second-year honorees are Zerick Dill, Selene Kizy and Rohit Ray. The third-year recipients are Shayaan Aqil, Shreya Srivatsan and Nedi Affas. Aqil and Srivatsan earned the same recognition for 2024-25, making them two-time honorees.

"Being selected is truly a significant accomplishment," said Jickssa Gemechu, associate professor in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies and committee chair.

Several honorees serve metro Detroit directly.

Kizy founded a free dermatology clinic in Detroit serving an underserved community. She also works as a medical intern with a traveling dermatology clinic that brings care to senior living facilities. She was listed as a presenter at a dermatology conference in Chicago in April 2026, where she shared research on that on-site care model.

Aqil helped organize four free vision screenings across metro Detroit and co-organized the 2026 OUWB Fast-a-Thon and Community Iftar. He also served as director of Health Advocacy and Outreach for the Paani Project, supporting fundraising of more than $6 million for clean water, health care and education in Pakistan.

Affas volunteered with OUWB's Student-Run Free Clinic, the Corewell Health Mother and Baby Unit and Emergency Department, and World Medical Relief. She led the effort to secure a $750 Compass mini-grant for a clean birth kit initiative through the Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group. She also studied in Ghana through an Oakland University study abroad program and mentored students from underserved backgrounds.

Dill, originally from Columbus, Ohio, helped a nonprofit called Our House Internal Outreach with grant writing that enabled the organization to open its first shelter and safehouse with 20-bed capacity. At OUWB's Honors Convocation in May 2026, he received the Michele D. Raible Award, a peer-selected honor recognizing compassion, love of learning and mentorship. The award is named for OUWB's founding associate dean, who died from complications of acute myeloid leukemia before the school welcomed its first class.

Ray served as co-coordinator for the OUWB-Hispanic Newcomer Outreach program and as a representative to the Association of American Medical Colleges' Organization of Student Representatives. In that role, he helped secure $3,500 in Kern National Network funding for student-led wellness initiatives at OUWB.

Srivatsan, the other two-time honoree, volunteered with the OUWB-Hispanic Newcomer Outreach Mentoring Program and served as international program coordinator for VT Seva's accessible digital book library. In 2025, she received the American South Asian Network Volunteer Excellence Award's first prize in the Rising Changemakers Division after logging more than 175 hours of service.

The selection process uses course director nominations, honors received and evaluations from peers and faculty. All six recipients have contributed to multiple publications and research projects.

OUWB recognized seven students for 2024-25, compared to six for 2025-26.