Major Lydia Hill ’11 Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

BUA is delighted to present the 2024-2025 Distinguished Alumni Award to Major Lydia Hill ’11 for her service in the United States Air Force as well as for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQIA airmen.

This annual award, launched in 2022, goes to an alumnus/a who best exemplifies the values of BUA and has used those qualities to make an impact on the community and world around them. Nominations for the award are solicited from the entire alumni community, and recipients are selected by the BUA Alumni Council.

Major Hill graduated from BUA in 2011 and went on to the United States Air Force Academy, where she received her commission in 2015 as a distinguished graduate. Major Hill left her own legacy at USAFA, founding the Spectrum Alliance for LGBTQIA cadets, which is still in operation today. Major Hill has worked with KC-135s and F-16s as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, served as a Wing Executive Officer, has deployed in support of named operations worldwide, and been stationed in England, South Korea, Illinois, and San Diego. She holds two master’s degrees: an MA in Psychology from San Diego State and an MA in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University. Major Hill currently serves as an Instructor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Major Hill has maintained her connection to BUA. In 2021, she returned to address the community at a Veterans Day all-school meeting. In her remarks, Major Hill spoke openly about mental health issues, LGBTQIA inclusion, and leading a life of service. She reflected on BUA as being “the first place I really saw people step up and be agents of change,” and shared her gratitude for a BUA teacher who inspired her “by living his life openly and with courage.” Major Hill’s candid reflections received an enthusiastic reception from the BUA audience, with students expressing their deep appreciation in the Q&A following her talk.

We are grateful to Major Hill for her service and for her commitment to BUA, and look forward to welcoming Lydia back to campus this year to celebrate her many accomplishments.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Fall 2024 edition of Odyssey, the magazine of Boston University Academy, which includes an in-depth Q&A with Lydia on her BUA experience, her career, and what winning the Distinguished Alumni Award means to her.

View all posts