RADical Health Guide Meg Simon Wins Hockey Humanitarian Award

“RADical Health does a great job of amplifying that student-athlete connection and taking what’s already in place and making it more incredible and special. That’s one of my biggest takeaways.”

RADical Health Guide and Middlebury dual-sport student-athlete Meg Simon won the 2026 Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to an NCAA college hockey player with exemplary off-ice character. The award, now in its 31st year, is for “college hockey’s finest citizen—a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to his or her community through leadership in volunteerism.”

For Simon, it all starts with connection. RADical Health provided the perfect avenue to enhance Middlebury’s tight-knit community and commitment to foster meaningful connections within the student-athlete population.

“The connection that RADical Health aims to foster is what I took away from the program. I’m a people person and thrive on relationships, and it was pretty neat to have even more familiar faces than before the program at the dining hall or out on a Saturday night.”

Weeks away from graduation, Simon reflected on her four years at Middlebury and wished she’d had RADical Health, which launched for Panthers in her second year, earlier in her college experience.

“RADical Health does a really good job of introducing faces right away, your freshman year. I was really all about that because if I had that my freshman year, it would’ve made a really big difference…I was really homesick my freshman year.”

When the opportunity came for Simon to lead one of the first RADical Health cohorts as a Guide in her sophomore year, she jumped at it.

“I had a lot of jealousy for those freshmen who were thrown into a pool of 15 kids who were all in the same grade but on different athletic teams. I found that to be really neat and in alignment with what Middlebury is trying to foster: a unique connection among student-athletes.”

The life of a student-athlete at any level has a stigma for being all-consuming: practice, film, nutrition, recovery, workout, class, homework, oh, and a social life. Yet Simon believes that if something matters to you, you make the time for it. And volunteering is, and has always been, a pillar in Simon’s life. Her mom, Beth, instilled the importance of volunteering and taking the time to fill someone’s bucket.

“She always says, when you go to bed and put your head on the pillow and reflect on your day, you realize that person or organization made my day better and filled my bucket for the day. So, the more you’re able to fill your own bucket, the better, right? That passion comes from a drive to fill other people’s buckets, but in turn it fills mine.”

On Middlebury’s campus, she shared her passion and drive for volunteering with “the 30 girls in the locker room that are my best friends.” She credited the special connections in place among her teammates for helping her embed a culture of giving back on both the women’s ice hockey and golf teams. Together, they held great pride in representing Middlebury Athletics at a higher level.

“We take really great pride in working together on those initiatives, and when you’re working together, it becomes even more meaningful because you’re working alongside your teammates and impacting someone else in your community. There really isn’t anything much better than that. It’s fun to do it by yourself, but it’s way more fun and rewarding when your teammates join in, and we do it together as a group.”

In addition to her work with RADical Health, Simon was President of Middlebury College Access Mentors (MiddCAM), an organization that helps high school students navigate the complex college admissions process. With her own college transition experience in her back pocket, Simon wished more incoming students knew it’s okay to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

“If I could tell my younger self some advice, I would tell her that it does take time [to find belonging in college], but to enjoy the uncomfortable…It only lasts for so long, and being a senior with five weeks left, I wish that I had enjoyed those first couple of months of freshman year instead of being so scared if it was going to work out or not.”

Simon found a deeper connection at Middlebury by tapping into one of her biggest values: volunteering. She urged freshmen who want to fulfill their values but don’t know where to start to seize every opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and try something new.

“Go and have a smile on your face and make the room a little bit happier and brighter, a place where other people want to be. Fully immerse yourself in what your school has to offer because I think it’s pretty rewarding.”

In early Spring 2026, Simon, whose volunteer resume includes RADical Health, MiddCAM, the Middlebury Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA), Special Olympics Vermont, the Yellow House Community, and SAAC, learned she had been nominated for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.

“I didn’t think I had any shot at it, especially after reading what all the other nominees were doing in their communities. It’s really inspiring to see their excellence off the ice; that’s even more valued by me.”

As one of three finalists, Simon flew to Las Vegas during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four weekend and became only the second NESCAC athlete to receive the award. In her acceptance speech, she shared that the work of all the nominees matters and shows in their communities.

Simon is applying for jobs and considering a master’s degree, with one certainty in mind.

“I expect to be the same and always be a part of some team that uses their platform to do good.”

Learn more about Meg Simon’s journey to Hockey Humanitarian.