ITHACA, N.Y. (Diya TV) — Cornell University senior Netra Shetty ’25 has received the 2025 University Relations Campus Community Leadership Award in recognition of her unwavering dedication to community health, social justice, and advocacy for people impacted by incarceration and substance use across New York State.
The award, presented annually to a graduating senior who exemplifies outstanding community service, was presented during a ceremony at Day Hall on May 14. Monica Yant Kinney, interim vice president for university relations, presented the honor to Shetty’s friends, mentors, and supporters. Her family watched the celebration virtually from California.
Shetty, a biology and society major in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences and a Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, has spent her undergraduate years immersed in public health work with deep ties to the Ithaca community. Since her first year, she has partnered with Ultimate Reentry Opportunity (URO), a local nonprofit committed to supporting individuals affected by incarceration and working to break cycles of recidivism.
“Netra did not shy away from any of the tough realities,” said Taili Mugambee, URO’s lead program coordinator. “If anything, it seemed like that was the substance that kept her coming back.”
Through her work with URO, Shetty has helped develop community initiatives that emphasize collaboration, equity, and long-term impact. “From the countless meetings and hours we spend discussing and working on our plans, we’re able to create initiatives that emphasize this shared vision, involve diverse perspectives, and work seamlessly with other organizations that impact the Ithaca community,” Shetty said.
Her commitment to health equity extended beyond reentry support. She volunteered at the Ithaca Free Clinic, which offers low-barrier health care to underserved residents, and conducted research focused on harm reduction and the opioid crisis. Her academic work revealed significant racial and ethnic disparities in access to prevention tools—findings that may inform future public health policies.
“For me, both of these experiences have shaped my perspective on the role of health care in uplifting the community,” Shetty said. “They have emphasized the importance of community engagement.”
Nishita Dsouza, a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University’s Social Intervention Group who collaborated with Shetty, praised her insight and empathy. “I was blown away by Netra’s capabilities to not only conceptualize these wicked problems that we’re facing as a society, but to meet them with grace, compassion, and eloquence,” Dsouza said, speaking virtually at the ceremony.
Throughout her four years at Cornell, Shetty demonstrated a commitment to advocacy rooted in data, service, and shared leadership—qualities that left a lasting impression on those around her.
“Netra’s major in biology and society, and her public health-focused research on substance use and harm reduction in various high-risk communities, reflects her dedication to community health and her empathy for our shared, diverse community,” said Yant Kinney.
Looking ahead, Shetty plans to pursue a career in medicine, where she hopes to continue championing equity and justice in health care.
“It is without a shadow of a doubt that Netra will be a person leading in whatever field she chooses to embark upon,” Mugambee added. “She will be a lifelong fighter for justice in the medical profession or something related.”
