Recent graduate India Henderson, an actress and singer, received a full scholarship to attend the University as a Richmond Artist Scholar and can now add to her resume the award for the 2021 Omicron Delta Kappa National Leader of the Year in Creative and Performing Arts.

“I feel honored to be nationally recognized for my efforts in the arts through this award,” said Henderson, a May 2021 leadership studies graduate. “Theatre and music have been my lifelong passions, and I am humbled that UR afforded me so many opportunities to learn, share, and unite my community around art.”

Henderson performed in multiple UR productions including Fame, Richard III, Antigone, and The Crucible.

She was also recently named the recipient of the James MacGregor Burns Award, the Jepson School’s highest honor given to a graduating senior in recognition of their academic, service, and leadership accomplishments.

"Being a Jepson student is one of the greatest privileges one can have at UR,” Henderson said. “My professors constantly pushed me to challenge my understanding of the world and engage in critical conversation about its future. I also learned remarkable lessons about leadership from my peers, especially those in the Black Student Coalition. Through their future-oriented vision for our campus community, they encouraged students to make their voices heard as we re-imagined our institution’s mission last semester.”

During her time at Richmond, Henderson served as president of the Epsilon Circle of ODK and received the Excellence Award from the Department of Theatre and Dance. She is also an initiate of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society and was named an Oliver Hill Scholar by UR.

In October, Henderson is moving to Toulouse, France, to teach English and solidify her French language skills. She then plans to pursue post-graduate training in the performing arts.

“Leadership, as has been reinforced by Jepson, the Department of Theatre and Dance, and my involvement in Omicron Delta Kappa, is a complex, ever-changing commitment that requires a forward-thinking, human-focused mindset,” Henderson said. “I am proud to take all of that I have learned during my time at UR with me into the world after graduation."