Sidra Capriolo is the type of leader who reminds others “there is never a wrong time to fight for change,” according to Associated Student Government (ASG) Senator, Wes Payne. As a sophomore, Capriolo is already widely involved at Miami as an on-campus senator for ASG, a member of Alpha Phi Omega, and involved with the Miami college democrats. She serves on both the COVID-19 advisory committee and the Student Life Council to enhance the student experience. This month, she is being recognized as part of the Love & Honor Story Project, selected each month by the dean's advisory board out of the office of the dean of students. 

Before college, Capriolo was involved in her community but didn't deeply connected to the work she did. At Miami, she has discovered her passions for government, politics, and service and has quickly channeled those passions into action. Capriolo's drive for leadership in these areas stems from her wholehearted belief that every Miami student deserves to have their voices heard. She takes a people-centered approach to leadership, striving to learn about the inner workings of her community, build meaningful relationships with others, and strategically collaborate to enact change.

Her nominator for the Love & Honor Story Project, Harper Sutton, described Capriolo's leadership style: “[She] isn't the most outspoken leader; she definitely leads more by example. Her actions are loud enough that everyone knows the great work she's accomplishing, even when she doesn't really talk about it. Her leadership is also people-centered; she's never doing things for her personal gain, as it's always to help others.”

Over the past several months heading into the 2020 Presidential election, Capriolo focused her energy towards cultivating civic engagement both locally and nationally. She spent hours registering Miami students to vote and organizing phone banking opportunities. She also worked to promote accessibility on campus this semester, advocating for a Paws for a Cause dog park on campus. Payne and Sutton cited Capriolo’s tremendous efforts to promote civic engagement and accessibility on campus as evidence of her commitment to the Code of Love and Honor, particularly in the ways that she seeks to welcome “a diversity of people, ideas, and experiences” as well as “to make the world a better place.”

As Capriolo continues to pursue change at Miami, she remains humble and grounded in her efforts. Reflecting on her leadership journey at Miami, she said the biggest piece of advice that she would offer her past self is that failure is important for success. In the past, the prospect of failure was scary. Now when she fails or makes a mistake, she views the mistake as an important learning experience that she can learn from and apply to future endeavors. She recognizes that these mistakes are an important part of growth. 

The Love and Honor Story Project is a platform for students to recognize and honor students enacting the values articulated in the Code of Love and Honor. If you know someone who exemplifies the Code of Love and Honor through their extraordinary care for their community, nominate them to be recognized!

To nominate someone, visit the Office of the Dean of Students' website and complete the brief nomination form.