UIC student leaders honored with annual chancellor’s awards

The Chancellor's Student Service and Leadership Awards ceremony recognized students for their impact across campus and in the community. (Photo: Mike Fan/ UIC Creative and Digital Services)

The University of Illinois Chicago celebrated a record-breaking year of student leadership, service and civic engagement at the 54th Annual Chancellor's Student Service and Leadership Awards on April 16 at Student Center East.

Hosted by UIC Student Leadership and Civic Engagement in collaboration with the Center for Student Involvement and the UIC Alumni Association, the ceremony recognized 499 students for their impact across campus and the Chicago community, reflecting UIC's deep commitment to service, equity and inclusive excellence.

"Today marks the 54th presentation of the Chancellor's Student Service and Leadership Awards - what an incredible tradition that says so much about who we are as a university and as a community," Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda said in her remarks.

For more than five decades, the ceremony has honored students who lead with compassion and serve with purpose - a legacy that continues to grow. In 2025 alone, UIC students logged 31,884 hours of service across health care, education, food security, environmental efforts and civic engagement initiatives.

Student Anne Zeng and Chancellor Miranda at the 54th annual Chancellor's Student Service and Leadership Awards. (Photo: Mike Fan/ UIC Creative and Digital Services) Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda, center, with recipients of the Chancellor's Student Service and Leadership Awards. (Photo: Mike Fan/ UIC Creative and Digital Services)

The evening highlighted how UIC students are translating their education into real-world impact - tutoring peers, mentoring first-generation students, supporting people experiencing homelessness, organizing voter drives and building inclusive campus spaces.

Among the evening's speakers, keynote speaker and UIC alum Angelo Tzivas reflected on the deeper meaning behind recognition.

"Tonight isn't about what you have achieved but who you have chosen to be," he said. "And what you have chosen again and again is leadership and service."

That message echoed throughout the ceremony, which recognized students from a record number of nominations and showcased the breadth of engagement across all colleges and the Rockford and Peoria regional campuses.

The event also reinforced long-standing traditions, such as the Activities Honorary Society, which dates back more than 75 years and recognizes exceptional student leaders.

For alums like Gary Merrill, a member of the society's class of 1978, the ceremony remains a meaningful way to stay connected.

He said he "loves coming back to campus to witness this long-standing tradition and congratulate new inductees in person every year," and added that it helps him maintain a strong connection to UIC. Merrill has also served on the society's selection committee for several years.

Read more about the 2026 Class of Activities Honorary Society and their achievements.

In total, 431 students received the Chancellor's Student Service Award and 120 students received the UIC Volunteer Service Awards, recognizing students who contributed more than 100 hours of service in the 2025 calendar year.

The ceremony also recognized outstanding student organizations and advisors for their contributions to campus life and community engagement.

This year's student organization award winners included the Adoptee Student Union, which received both the Commitment to Diversity Award and Outstanding New Student Organization; the Vietnamese Student Association, which received the Rex Tolliver Distinguished Service Organization Award; and the Association of Latino Professionals for America, which received the Outstanding Student Organization Award. Tina Lam was recognized as an Outstanding Registered Student Organization Advisor.

The ceremony also included recognition of the Eugertha Bates Memorial Award and the Jane Addams Distinguished Service Award, presented by Michael Ginsburg, special advisor to the chancellor for student affairs. Ginsburg highlighted the importance of service rooted in compassion and commitment, honoring students whose work has made a meaningful impact on communities both on and off campus.

The breadth of recognition reflects the diverse ways students are engaging with their communities - from public health outreach and immigrant support to environmental initiatives and youth mentorship.

Miranda encouraged students to recognize the collective impact of their efforts. "You are UIC's greatest ambassadors and our university's greatest strength," she said.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Engagement Joy Vergara emphasized in her closing remarks how students' choices shape their college experience and their communities.

"One thing I asked at orientation last summer to incoming students was, 'How will you spend your time at UIC?'" she said. "With 499 students receiving awards today, you all have shown our campus community how you have spent that time - and how you have shown up for your peers, the campus community and the city of Chicago."

From student organizations fostering belonging to leadership programs building professional skills, the ceremony underscored how co-curricular involvement is central to a UIC education.

UIC boasts more than 460 student organizations, works alongside 112 community service agencies and is home to 26 fraternities and sororities - all which provide students with opportunities to lead, serve and make a meaningful impact.

See the full list of recipients here, and watch the livestream of the event.

- Parrama Chouhan, Student Leadership and Civic Engagement