Updates to the outstanding student awards that honor students and registered student organizations
Every year, the Outstanding Student Awards honors members of the Davis community that have made impressive contributions to UC Davis and its student body. Only students and organizations can be nominated for these awards, and recipients are handpicked during a competitive application process. Awards honor students of different seniority and for various reasons, including for outstanding leadership display, service and goodwill.
Jaime Allen, the Leadership Development and Outreach specialist at the Center for Student Involvement, oversees some of the awards students and organizations can apply to.
“[This year], the Outstanding Student Awards will take place on May 13 at the Mondavi Center,” Allen said. “It’s sort of the end of the year culmination of all of the things students on campus have been able to accomplish this year. We recognize students for their individual accomplishments and student organizations for what they’ve contributed to campus. Outstanding seniors for most of the majors are represented, in addition to CSI leadership awards, Principles of Community Award, Civic Engagement Community Service awards and Student Affairs awards like the Winslow award or Social Justice award. The big award is the university medal, which goes to the outstanding graduating senior.”
Specifically, Allen manages the awards that fall under the Center for Student Involvement, including awards such as the Adams Award, Balanced Leaders Award and Global Engagement Award among several others. In addition to the prestige bestowed upon receiving an award, individuals and organizations can receive cash awards to advance their impactful registered student organizations.
“The CSI awards are coordinated through the Center for Student Involvement,” Allen said. “We recognize student organizations for their specific contributions such as global engagement. Another award recognizes balanced leadership, so organizations that promote academics and wellness among members, not just focusing on the organization itself being successful. Other awards, like the Adams Leadership award, recognizes an outstanding student organization officer for their contributions to the organization.”
Receiving an award is an extremely prestigious honor, as it only recognizes several impressive students out of the tens of thousands in the entire student body. Additionally, organizations recognized for their accomplishments are handpicked out of the hundreds of registered student organizations on campus for their important contributions.
“It’s important to know about the awards so that students and organizations can get the recognition they deserve for all of the great work they’re doing,” Allen said. “It’s really impressive reading over the applications and seeing how much students and student organizations have been able to accomplish, and their impact on their members and the community as a whole. So it’s just really fun giving them to have a moment in the spotlight that they deserve.”
While the award ceremony takes place once every year, new additions to the awards ceremony this year made receiving an award even more enticing than in years past.
“A new addition this year is a pre-reception before the actual ceremony that will happen in Jackson Hall in the Mondavi Center,” Allen said. “The pre-reception is for the recipients to be able to meet senior administrators like the deans of colleges or the interim vice president of student affairs, so this is a great way for students to interact more closely with senior administrators across campus and be recognized across campus for their accomplishments. Unfortunately, this is just open to the award recipients but this is another great reason why students should apply to be able to have this great opportunity.”
Any student making contributions to the UC Davis campus or student body should consider applying for an outstanding student award in years to come, or consider nominating individuals that they feel do so as well.
“I think there’s definitely a way for all students to have a chance to be recognized at the awards, whether its for their academic success or success outside the classroom, there’s different ways to be represented,” Allen said. “Organizations and individuals both have chances. The application and nomination process is different depending on the award, but most of that happens in late January and early February, so everyone look out for the Outstanding Student Awards in 2020.”
Visit the Outstanding Student Awards Page to find out more about the various available awards and to learn more about the application process.
Written by: Alyssa Hada – features@theaggie.org
