The Division of Student Affairs Tuesday hosted its annual Celebration of Involvement reception to recognize and present campus-wide awards for service and leadership. Andrew Wiemer, director of the Butler Center for Service and Leadership, welcomed students, faculty, staff, donors, and community partners to the Shalala Student Center and showed his appreciation for the finalists.
“We are all very proud of all the accomplishments you have made,” said Weimer, whose team of professional and student staff from the Butler Center coordinated the evening’s event. “Whether you were volunteering your time in the community, part of a team planning a program, or leading an organization it has been a great year because of your accomplishments and achievements.”
Patricia A. Whitely, vice president for student affairs, addressed the audience to identify defining moments that have shaped the academic year. UM is now home to more than 300 student organizations. With the focus of student leaders, many of the organizations have raised thousands of dollars for various charities and local organizations.
“We’ve had a great year – from international week, to FunDay, to our Students of Color Symposium, to our Islam Awareness Week, to Native American Heritage Month, to our Greek Week,” Whitely said. “I think you will agree that there’s a wide diversity of events.”
The Wieser, Waldman and Coller families, all of whom endowed scholarship awards that were presented at the event, were also in attendance to celebrate the students’ achievements.
“We deeply appreciate the generosity of these families who continue to support and recognize the valuable contributions of our students,” Whitely said. “We are grateful that they are able to join us at this annual celebration.”
Awards presented included:
Edward T. Foote II Award for Excellence in Student Leadership
Divya Bhansali
Vice President’s Award for Service
Rhea Manohar
Destiny James
Faith Boone
Obianeze Okolo
Magaly Santos Llaca Endowed Memorial Scholarship - $10,000
Madeline Valverde
Ann S. Waldman Endowed Scholarship - $10,000
Ajirioghene Uzere
Sherwood Weiser Memorial Fund for Student Community Service - $2,000
Amanda Perez
Derek Auguste
Mizelle Hornilla
Emma Lam
Vivian Berger Giller Impact Award - $3,000
Talula Thibault
Robert Bates Cole Award for Volunteer Leadership - $2,000
Ethan Cheng
Gerald J. Pierri ’65 Read and Lead Award for Excellence in Academics and Intramural Sports Leadership Award - $1,000
Jordan Austin
UM Civic Scholar
Sara Soto
Newman Civic Fellows Award
Shravya Jasti
Iron Arrow Honor Society Sophomore Leadership Award
Giselle de la Rua
Graduate Award for Excellence in Student Leadership
Fahd Qadir, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Diabetes Research Institute
Excellence in Civic Engagement Award
Susan Prather, assistant professor of clinical, School of Nursing and Health Studies
Claire Oueslati-Porter, senior lecturer, College of Arts and Sciences