Campus Y leaders honored with prestigious prizes for public service
May 11, 2016 • Tom Sowders • No CommentsOn April 20, 2016, UNC honored its most outstanding students for both their academic achievements and their exceptional leadership on-campus and in the community. Among the Chancellor’s Awards winners this past Wednesday were six Campus Y Executive Board members and committee co-chairs.
Earlier this month, five members of the Campus Y were inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece, UNC’s oldest honorary society, for the key roles they have played in service to UNC throughout their university careers. In addition, a first year was selected for the Robertson Scholars Program (one of two matriculated first years to win this scholarship in 2016), a rising senior won the inaugural Hodding Carter III Public Service Fellowship, and a young alumna earned a prestigious Carnegie Junior Scholars Fellowship.
Please join us in recognizing these outstanding Campus Y leaders for the important work they do in service to the campus and the community.
Chancellor’s Award Winners:
Juliana Ritter, a junior geography and global studies double major from Chapel Hill, NC, received the Jane Craig Memorial Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership as co-president the Campus Y this year. Juliana is also the former co-chair of the Enrich English Language Learning, a committee of the Y working with adult learners of English in Carrboro. Established in 1954, the Jane Craige Gray Memorial Award is given to the woman of the junior class who has been judged most outstanding in character, scholarship, and leadership. It is presented annually in memory of Jane Craige Gray.
Keegan McBride, a junior chemistry major from Raleigh, NC, received the Ernest L. Mackie Award in recognition of his work as a leader and scholar. Keegan has been a Campus Y Global Gap Year Fellow and the Director of Finance on Campus Y’s Executive Board for 2 years. He founded the First Year Council at Campus Y, served as Director of Holi Moli and is currently the co-founder of CUBE venture Meantime Café. The Ernest L. Mackie Award is presented to the man of the junior class who has been judged most outstanding in character, scholarship, and leadership. It was established in 1978 by the Order of the Old Well in memory of one of its charter members, Ernest L. Mackie, professor of Mathematics. Dr. Mackie also served as dean of students, dean of student awards and distinctions, and secretary-treasurer of Phi Beta Kappa.
Kierra Campbell, a double major in global studies and political science with a minor in Hispanic studies from Greensboro, NC, received the George Moses Horton Award for Multicultural Leadership. Kierra serves on the Campus Y Executive Board as Director of Outreach and is a Campus Y work-study student. The George Moses Horton Award for Multicultural Leadership recognizes the senior who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, initiative, and creativity in multicultural education programs. This award is given by the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. It honors nineteenth-century poet and friend of students and faculty on this campus, George Moses Horton. He used funds generated through his popular verse to buy time away from the Chatham County farm where he was enslaved.
Cameron Coughlin, a senior anthropology major with minors in biology and chemistry from Charlotte, NC, received the James O. Cansler Service Award. As a Campus Y Bonner Leader, Cameron worked with the community nonprofit TABLE for 4 years, giving over 1,000 hours of service. TABLE provides healthy, emergency food aid every week to hungry preschool, elementary, and middle school children living in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC. Established in 2006, the James O. Cansler Service Award recognizes academic excellence, integrity of character, and commitment to a campus faith-based group. The award is presented to a Junior or Senior whose faith has inspired outstanding service to the needs of humanity, locally or abroad.
Bo Chon, a double major in economics and global studies from Centreville, VA, received the Robert B. House Distinguished Service Award. Bo is Co-Chair of the Campus Y committee Criminal Justice Advocacy and Awareness, which educates youth and college students about the complexities and problems of the criminal justice system. Established in 1980 by the Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity in honor of the first chancellor of the University and one of its most revered leaders, this award is presented to the undergraduate who best exemplifies the spirit of unselfish commitment through service to the University and the surrounding community.
Lynn-Indora Edmond, a senior psychology major from Commack, NY, received the E. Eugene Jackson Award. Lynn-Indora is a Campus Y Bonner Leader who has contributed more than 1,000 hours working with community nonprofit Empowerment, Inc., which focuses on community organizing, grassroots economic development, and affordable housing in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro community. Lynn-Indora is currently a Bonner Senior Intern, helping run the program from the organizational side. The E. Eugene Jackson Award. is given annually to the member of the graduating class whose leadership and selfless dedication have strengthened class pride and University loyalty, enriched the lives of seniors, and made the most significant contribution to the University. It was established by the Class of 1989 in honor of E. Eugene Jackson whose contributions to the University have been a model of self-less service.
Vishal Reddy, a senior Anthropology major from Cleveland, OH, received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for his contributions to the welfare of people on and off campus as former co-chair of the Campus Y committee Helping Youth by Providing Enrichment (HYPE) and Co-President of the Campus Y. Established in 1928, this award is bestowed annually upon one man and one woman of the graduating class who have best demonstrated unselfish interest in human welfare. The emphasis of the award is on humanitarian contributions.
Other awards:
Caroline Zullo (’15), an alumna who double major in global studies and political science from Raleigh, NC, was accepted into the prestigious Carnegie Junior Fellows Program. Caroline is a former Director of Outreach on the Campus Y Executive Board, and she served as Co-Chair of Campus Y committee ENRICH ELL, which works with adult learners of English in Carrboro. The Carnegie Junior Fellows program provides substantive work experience at the Carnegie Endowment for students and recent graduates with career interests in international affairs. Zullo is Carolina’s first recipient of the award in 25 years of record keeping by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of only 14 selected for the prestigious program from a pool of almost 200 applicants representing nearly 150 institutions.
Kyra Rubin, first year public policy major from Madison, Wisconsin, was accepted into the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program. A Campus Y First Year Member at Large, Kyra has leveraged partnerships between the Campus Y, Hillel, and the Black Student Movement. The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program invests in young leaders who strive to make transformational contributions to society. The program selects a diverse community of undergraduate students – generally 18 at Duke and 18 at UNC-Chapel Hill each year – who demonstrate extraordinary potential and provides these young leaders with exceptional benefits, shared experiences, and classes on both campuses. Kyra is one of two matriculated first year students who were awarded the Robertson.
Diane Li, a junior global studies and public policy major from Hyde Park, NY, received the first Hodding Carter III Public Service Fellowship for her work as a Campus Y Bonner Leader. As a Bonner Leader, Diane worked with the local nonprofit the Marion Cheek Jackson Center for Making and Saving History. The Jackson Center conducts programming to strengthen the Northside and Pine Knolls neighborhoods of Chapel Hill, including an Oral History Archive, a food bank, a youth radio station, affordable housing initiatives, and more. The Hodding Carter III Public Service Fellowship was established in 2015 in honor of Hodding Carter III, the (Emeritus) University Professor of Leadership and Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Fellowship supports opportunities for UNC undergraduate public policy majors to engage in public service opportunities in our communities, the American south, the nation and around the globe.
Order of the Golden Fleece:
The Order of the Golden Fleece was founded in 1904 to unite student leaders at Carolina. Considered the highest honorary society at the University, the society selects its members based upon service to the University as reflected in scholarship, motivation, creativity, loyalty, and leadership in academic and extracurricular pursuits.
The following Campus Y students were tapped:
Logan Gin, a junior double major in biology and political science from Columbus, OH, was tapped for his resolute advocacy for accessibility on UNC campus. As chair of Advocates for Carolina, which raises disability awareness and fights for equality at UNC, Logan uses his own experience to start and push the conversation to help make a positive change for those with accessibility needs.
Laura Limarzi, a junior public policy major with a minor in anthropology from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is Chair of the Development Committee on the Campus Y Executive Board, a position that allowed her to change the funding process for Campus Y resources so that it can facilitate learning opportunities for social justice organizations in the Y as well outside the Y. She has been Co-Chair of the Campus Y committee, Nourish UNC, and is currently co-founder of CUBE venture Global Music Outreach, a music program at a school and orphanage in Tanzania that provides scholarships to students through the sale of CDs.
Meredith Miller, a double major in art history and history from Elon, NC is founder and co-chair of Campus Y committee Art & Life, an afterschool education program that empowers youth by challenging them to assess their own identities through art history education of western and non-western cultures and allows UNC students to teach art courses to socially disadvantaged students in local schools to demonstrate the relevancy of art history in their lives.
Cecilia Polanco, a senior global studies major and geography minor from Durham, NC, is a Morehead-Cain scholar and also a member of the first cohort of Global Gap Year Fellows, an award that enabled her to take a year off to be a global citizen and do volunteer work abroad. While at UNC, she has worked with the Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office as a counselor for Project Uplift, encouraging students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds to pursue higher education. Cecilia has worked closely with the Carolina Latino/a Collaborative as President of the Carolina Hispanic Association, a participant in the Cultural Competency Leadership Institute, and a member of Student Government. She is the co-founder of CUBE venture So Good Pupusas, a food truck that celebrates Latino culture and whose proceeds benefit Latino students.
Elizabeth Schroeder, a psychology major and history and chemistry minor from Oak Park, Illinois, was tapped for her dedication in improving disability rights on campus. A Morehead-Cain Scholar, Elizabeth serves as chair of Campus Y committee Best Buddies, a program that matches Carolina students with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the local community.
Campus Y contact: Tom Sowders, Campus Y Communications Officer, (919) 962-2333, tsowders@email.unc.edu