DETROIT (6/13/2022) -- University of Detroit Mercy graduate senior and cheer team member Taylor Kile and men's track and field senior Semaj Shelton were both honored with this year's Vivere ex Missione awards at graduation. 

The Vivere ex Missione awards are presented each year to four graduating students whose time at the University of Detroit Mercy was marked by leadership, service and scholarship. Nominations are made by students, staff and faculty and the awardees are chosen by a committee of staff and faculty.

"Vivere ex Missione" means "to live the mission" and these students did just that as Detroit Mercy students. 

Below is the text of the citations each received with their honor:

Semaj Shelton, Undergraduate student
Ask almost anyone on the McNichols Campus if they have heard of Semaj Shelton, chances are they will say yes. He is an academically-talented student-athlete and an active volunteer.

On and off the track, where he is a strong sprinter, Semaj is a humble servant leader. As a ReBUILDetroit scholar and Biology major, he has served as a research assistant for four years. He also became a teaching assistant, a position he uses to help younger students transition into college, showing them by example how to give and be their best.
Semaj did not let early academic struggles get him down. Instead, he dug deep and drew upon resources to turn his performance around. He uses those skills and his story to inspire those he tutors through ReBUILDetroit and at Loyola High School Detroit.

A tireless volunteer, he can be seen in a leadership role in service-learning and through his work with a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with autism. He includes everyone in his very large, culturally diverse circle. Everyone he meets is already a friend.

It is for his inspirational leadership, welcoming presence and servant leadership that University of Detroit Mercy presents the 2022 Vivere ex Missione award to Semaj Shelton.

Taylor Kile, Graduate student
Some students have a way of making their mark on everything they touch. Taylor Kile is that kind of student.

Taylor has not only earned a Master of Architecture degree; she is earning a second master's degree in civil engineering management. She also has a minor in leadership, is co-vice president of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and holds a board position on the American Institute of Architecture Student Chapter.

She is a fierce advocate for equitable housing and community building. Inspired by a trip to Cuba, Taylor's thesis focused on how tourists can help build up communities in developing countries. In the summers, she has helped run an architecture summer camp where high school and college students come to campus to learn about architecture.

Taylor has worked as a work-study student in several areas of the School of Architecture & Community Development, as an orientation leader and in TRIO Student Support Services helping first-generation students like herself succeed. As an employee of the Office of Financial Aid, Taylor took on the duties of stocking the student food pantry outside the office, making sure it was fully stocked, often donating items herself.
Taylor also served as cheerleading captain and as the cheer team's representative on the student-athlete advisory committee. She was a mentor to many of her teammates, introduced girls to cheer skills during Women in Sports Day activities and ran Halloween candy drives for children with cancer.

For her academic skills and tireless work in service of others, University of Detroit Mercy presents Taylor Kile with the 2022 Vivere ex Missione Award for Graduate Students.