College of Public Health students honored with Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Awards

Two University of Kentucky (UK) College of Public Health (CPH) students are carrying forward a legacy of leadership, service and impact. Isabella Skibba and Akua Asamoah have been named the college’s 2026 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award recipients, recognizing their academic excellence and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Held during UK Homecoming, the annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards celebrate alumni and students from across the university whose achievements, leadership and service reflect the enduring impact of Lyman T. Johnson, the first African American student to attend UK.

Bella Skibba

Originally from Owensboro, Ky., Skibba’s time at UK has been defined by academic achievement, leadership, research and service. An Otis A. Singletary Scholar, Gaines Fellow and Chellgren Fellow, she is involved in a range of initiatives that reflect her commitment to learning and making a difference in her community.

Despite her many accomplishments, Skibba said she was surprised and honored to learn she had been selected as a 2026 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award recipient.

“I was really excited and super grateful,” said Skibba, a junior and Lewis Honors College student. “I looked up bios of some of the past winners, not just from the College of Public Health, but other students and alumni who had also received this award, and I was really honored and excited to represent the College of Public Health.”

For Skibba, the recognition affirmed that her efforts to build meaningful connections through research, leadership and service were making a difference. She viewed the award as reassurance that she was on the right path in connecting with the UK community and said she was proud to represent the College of Public Health, describing it as “small but mighty.”

Skibba has immersed herself in undergraduate research opportunities through Active Girls Healthy Women and the Families, Adoption, and Diversity Lab. She credits those experiences, along with the guidance of faculty mentors, for helping shape her academic interests and future aspirations.

“Those experiences have helped me grow so much as a student, but also as a leader,” she said. “I have amazing research mentors that have shaped my passion for public health and undergraduate research.”

In addition to her research activities, Skibba serves as president of Movement Mentors, leads TEDxUKY as its licensee, works as a group fitness instructor with Campus Recreation and interns with the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

When reflecting on her accomplishments, Skibba said she is most proud of building a well-rounded college experience that has allowed her to connect with varied communities across campus.

“I have a lot of different interests that I feel like are starting to tell a unique and well-rounded story,” she said.

Looking ahead, Skibba hopes to continue serving communities across the Commonwealth, whether through law, public policy or research.

“I am also really proud to be a Kentuckian and to be from Kentucky,” she said. “No matter where that takes me, I know that I definitely want to use my education to help Kentucky communities thrive and find health and well-being.”

Akua Asamoah

Asamoah’s passion for public health and service was inspired by her family’s story and the values instilled in her by her father.

“My dad grew up very poor in Ghana,” said Asamoah, a senior and a Lewis Honors College student. “He honestly instilled in my sister and me the idea of helping others and thinking about others.”

Originally from Accra, Ghana, Asamoah carried those values into her studies at UK, where they ultimately led her to create CATS for Ghana, a student-led literacy and STEM tutoring organization that connects UK students with elementary and middle school students in Ghana.  

Inspired by virtual tutoring programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, what began as an idea has grown into an organization with more than 100 UK student participants serving students at three schools in Ghana. Building the organization took years of developing partnerships, recruiting volunteers and overcoming challenges to create opportunities for students thousands of miles away.  

For Asamoah, receiving the Torch Bearer Award was both a surprise and a meaningful recognition of the work it took to build CATS for Ghana from the ground up.

“I started this club when I was a freshman at UK, so getting this award means a lot to me and validates my hard work," she said.  

Asamoah credits College of Public Health professor Ketrell L. McWhorter as one of the mentors who helped bring the organization to life. The pair spent countless hours discussing ideas, researching possibilities and building the foundation for what would eventually become CATS for Ghana.

“It’s been a ride,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of failures in between, but I think CATS for Ghana has been a cool experience for me. It’s definitely a highlight of my college experience.”    

After graduation, Asamoah hopes to become a physician focused on global health while continuing to expand her nonprofit work.

“I want to travel a lot, and I want to create community health initiatives that would help a community while I'm there,” she said. “I think my public health degree definitely gives me the background and the knowledge to do that.”