Students Honored With Annual Academic, Service, and Leadership Awards

A crowd of over 275 students, staff, faculty, family members, and supporters gathered on Friday, April 19, in Sacred Heart Chapel to celebrate more than 100 student award recipients during the 2024 Student Academic, Service, and Leadership Awards ceremony. 190 awards were presented to individual students and registered student organizations, ranging from first-year students to graduating seniors, as well as graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional academic excellence and leadership. These students embody the ideals of Jesuit and Marymount heritages. The event livestream can be viewed here.

"You have demonstrated your commitment to interdisciplinary discourse by presenting your work in spaces such as the Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Engineering Design Showcase, or the Young Contemporaries Juried Exhibition," said President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D. "Others of you have embraced the role of global citizen in both scholarship and service, whether through study abroad or one of our international immersion programs from Alternative Breaks to De Colores to Ignacio Companions. Your compassionate, imaginative leadership is felt in campus service organizations, orientation, Greek Life, ASLMU, and other campus programs. I am inspired each year to learn about the ways our seniors have lived in the service of faith and promotion of justice during their time at LMU while maintaining academic excellence and stretching their imaginations to explore and discover what may have seemed, at least at first, unimaginable."

Class of 2024 seniors and graduate students received the university's highest honors, including:

Lyza Weisman '24 received the University Scholar of the Year award, presented to a four-year undergraduate who is determined to have achieved the best overall academic record of the graduating class. Weisman is also the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Program Scholar for theological studies and the Bachelor of Science in economics program scholar. She also received the BCLA Erlandson Award, given to a graduating senior for the rigor of their program while obtaining among the highest grade point averages within the college.

Yinka Akinlade '24 has been selected as the Class of 2024 Valedictorian and will speak at the 112th Undergraduate Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 4. The Valedictorian achieves a minimum 3.7 grade point average after at least 60 graded semester hours in residence at the university and is selected based on a speech presented to the Valedictorian Selection Committee, comprised of faculty, administrators, and a student representative.

Anabel Lynch '24 received the James Loughran, S.J. Award for community service, which is presented to a student service leader for their work on and off campus. An Alternative Breaks leader and the vice president of spirituality for Espérer, Lynch has also served as president of El Espejo, a tutoring and mentoring program that connects LMU students to students at Lennox Middle School. Her leadership has helped to double student participation and strengthen LMU's relationship with the school leadership. Future generations of Lions will benefit from their participation in these programs because of Lynch's thoughtful and holistic approach to servant leadership. Lynch also received a McKay Award.

Erin Yang '24 received the Donald Merrifield, S.J. Award, which is given to the outstanding senior who has contributed to interculturalism on campus and beyond. Yang has served as vice president of LMU's Filipino student organization, Isang Bansa, and as a programming assistant for Asian Pacific Student Services. She has coordinated various cultural events such as Mic Nights, Pistahan, and Filipino Cultural Night. These events have provided a multicultural setting that has allowed the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community to celebrate their identities and have been a great way to promote inclusion on campus.

Four students, two undergraduates and two graduate students, received the Arrupe Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards, reserved for graduating seniors and graduate students who have shown a record of explicit work with diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. The award is named in honor of Jesuit Superior General Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., who worked tirelessly to promote justice in the service of faith. The University Intercultural Council selects the awardees, students who demonstrate both robust academic achievement and outstanding DEI academic contributions.

Catherine Channell '24 is an aspiring physician majoring in biology with a minor in health and human sciences. Through her LMU experiences and prestigious internships, she has explored the medical implications of underrepresentation in her research on kidney disorders, lactose intolerance, and anesthesiology. Channell has also served as a bilingual mentor, tutor, translator, president of LMU's Honors Program, and director of service and social justice for LMU's Gryphon Circle Service Organization. Channell also received the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering award for Mathematics and Science, the Program Scholar for the Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Presidential Citation, and a McKay Award.

Jeremy Valle '23, graduated from LMU in December with a double major in environmental studies and international relations. As the Attorney General for ASLMU, Jeremy created a wellness fund that provided financial support to low-income students for physical and mental health care and worked to improve cohesion and fairness in student government decision-making. Jeremy thinks about justice from a global perspective, which is evident in his time as an active member of Lion Model United Nations and has served as a volunteer with the NGO Commission on Voluntary Service and Action to outline and understand the progress of the United States toward achieving the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Valle also received a Presidential Citation.

Brandi Avila is a graduate student who has spent her entire career working to improve student experiences in community colleges. Avila is dean of Student Development and Wellness at Moreno Valley College, and her dissertation for the Educational Leadership for Social Justice program captured the voices of Black community college leaders who chose to work in DEI positions before and after George Floyd's murder. She continues to uplift her community and has demonstrated a commitment to the hard work required of champions for diversity.

The final Arrupe recipient was Melissa Stevens, a graduate student with an array of experiences at LMU, including serving as a graduate teaching assistant, presenting a conference paper on medieval studies of honeybees and warfare in old English poetry, and receiving recognition from the LMU English Department for her essay on Black women writers of colonial California. Inspired by her experiences growing up in a mixed-race family in New Zealand, Stevens also received a research grant to study indigenous storytelling. Her commitment to amplifying the marginalized through her academic and social endeavors is ongoing.

The final awards of the program included the Ignatian, Marian, Magis, and the Robert Graham, S.J. Alumni Awards:

Iliana Chen '24 received the 2024 Marian Award for exemplifying being a person for and with others through her participation in or leadership of four Alternative Breaks programs at LMU. She spent summers teaching English in Indonesia with the LMU Bali Club. Her dedication to supporting youth carries over to her activities at LMU, as she is a member of the Creare Service Organization and a Youth Program leader at Alma Backyard Farms. Chen's next endeavor will be to teach English in Uruguay as a Fulbright Scholar. Chen also received the Program Scholar awards for Elementary Education and for Education and Learning Sciences, a Presidential Citation, and the McKay Award.

Megan Mingo '24 received the Robert Graham, S.J. Alumni Award for her leadership skills informed by Ignatian ideals. Ignatian values such as the "Commit to Service and Justice" pillar have encouraged her to implement programming and plan events that will uplift members of LMU's Black student population. She has been involved in various roles, including President of Black Student Union, Black Greek Council, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Tau Kappa Chapter. She also maintained membership and job positions with the Academic Community of Excellence and The Learning Community programs. Mingo also received the BCLA African American Studies Department Award.

Drew Hartz '24 received the Robert Graham, S.J. Alumni Award, the Ignatian Award, a Presidential Citation, and the Magis Award, a special and distinct honor not awarded yearly. It is reserved for unique contributions to our community and often propelled by singular passion and grit. Hartz made strong connections across the LMU campus community and created engaging programming to invigorate school spirit. On top of balancing his student-leader role and a rigorous academic schedule, Hartz serves as a campus tour guide, introducing prospective students and their families to our campus and sharing what it means to be a Lion. Beyond academic and student leader responsibilities, he has continued to clock overnight shifts as an EMT, prioritizing our students' health and well-being. Hartz also received the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering Health and Human Science Department Award earlier in the program.

Other awards presented include the Program Scholars, College and School Scholars, Presidential Citations, the Raymundo McKay R.S.H.M. awards to graduating seniors, Alfred Kilp, S.J. awards for juniors, Renee L. Harrangue, Ph.D. awards for sophomores, Peg Dolan, R.S.H.M. awards for first-year students, Student Life awards, Student EXP and Graduate Student EXP Awards. The complete list of recipients can be viewed here.

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