Her Campus at American University hosted its annual event, Student of the Year, on Nov. 10 in the Founder’s Room at the School of International Service. The event invited members of the organization, nominees and friends to celebrate the achievements of female-presenting students at American University’s six schools: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Public Affairs, School of International Service, School of Education, Kogod School of Business and School of Communication.
The event featured the university acapella group Pitches Be Trippin’ who sang Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and “Armor” by Sara Bareilles. Clad in black t-shirts and blue jeans, the group provided a fun atmosphere for attendees as they enjoyed snacks and drinks.
Her Campus President Sana Mamtaney and Editor-in-Chief Gianna Matassa hosted the event. Noting the achievements of the nominees, Mamtaney and Matassa invited the audience to reflect on the numerous accomplishments of their fellow university students.
Kelley Kloncz
Kelley Kloncz, a sophomore majoring in audio technology, is Her Campus’s Student of the Year for the College of Arts and Sciences. Kloncz works two jobs and is a proud dog mom in addition to their academic pursuits. Their roommate Cleo Pool says that she believes Kelley “can do it all.”
When asked about their major, Kloncz explains that it can be isolating as a female-presenting individual in the audio technology field.
“Everyone [in Audio Technology] has either been singing for ten years, or they’re guys who do Soundcloud, and I’m literally none of those,” they said.
Jokes aside, Kelley explains that they find support in the Women in Audio Club on campus. The Women in Audio club aims to give female-presenting individuals a safe and supportive space in the male-dominated major. Kelley hopes to promote the club and its usefulness to female-presenting individuals. Friends say that Kelley works to push past the gender-related barriers in their major and helps make everyone feel welcome.
Despite being new to their major, Kelley has decided she wants to work in audio production after college. She hopes to work in the music industry in pre or post-production.
Ifeanyi Umunna
Ifeanyi Umunna is the Student of the Year for the School of Public Affairs. A senior political science and African-American diaspora studies major, Umunna is a hard-working student who has maintained a 4.0 grade point average during her time at American University.
In addition to her studies, Umunna has served as a resident assistant for the university’s Black Affinity Housing and as a teaching assistant and peer advisor for the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program. She has risen to the position of Student Director for the leadership program and is currently president of American’s Black Student Union.
On and off campus, Umunna makes a difference in her community. She has served as a policy intern for the Center for Policing Equity and for Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Currently, Ifeanyi is an intern for the Trone Center for Justice and Equality at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Office.
Sarina Patel
Sarina Patel is the Student of the Year for the School of International Service. Only a sophomore, she is a decorated student majoring in international studies with a concentration in justice, ethics and human rights, the region of focus being Asia, and a minor in creative writing.
You may know her as the 2022 Washington, D.C. Poet Laureate, the first South Asian ever to hold the award. Patel has raised 600 thousand dollars for The Community Foundation’s gala to combat racialized poverty in the District. She has performed at the American Poetry Museum, the historic Martin Luther King Jr. library, Busboys and Poets,and serves on the Youth Advisory Board for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Her passion is uplifting creatives of color because they don’t always have equitable and equal access to opportunities. As someone who has had those support systems, she knows how important the resources have been to her. It may seem like Sarina has done it all but she says she wakes up in the morning and thinks “I have so much more to do.” She sees herself in policy, maybe international law, in the future but still wants to continue her passion and success in creative writing.
Eliza Ramos
Eliza Ramos is our well-deserved student of the year for the School of Education, expertly balancing her academic course load with her work tutoring students in her education-related jobs. Ramos is a sophomore in the School of Education, majoring in education with aspirations to minor in teaching English as a second language.
A hard-working student, Ramos performs well academically in her classes. Outside of school, she proudly tutors with numerous organizations. She works with Teach for America and has recently had the opportunity to travel to Oklahoma to meet her students in person for the first time. In addition to this achievement, Ramos works with Latino Student Fund, an organization aimed at addressing educational disparities in Washington, D.C. There, Ramos helps Latino students learn English. Being Hispanic herself, Ramos emphasizes that this work is especially important to her.
She also works for the National Presbyterian School, an elementary school for students grades three through six. She tutors students at the school, located just down the street from American University. In the future, Eliza hopes to become a fifth-grade teacher for students learning English.
Kate Mahan
Kate Mahan is our Student of the Year for the Kogod School of Business. She is a sophomore majoring in business administration with a focus on management.
Mahan is a small business owner and the Head of Partnerships for INLAB, an IT-based consulting firm. She is also currently writing a children’s book. Her friends describe her as “super adventurous and outdoorsy” because she is an avid rock climber and loves yoga. Not to mention, she does all this work on top of holding a job at a restaurant in Dupont Circle.
Samantha Margot
Samantha Margot is a junior, studying journalism and minoring in environmental science and is our Student of the Year for the School of Communications. Her dream is to be an environmental journalist reporting on the climate.
Climate change and the environment can be scary subjects. Our earth is suffering and when reading about the damage of global warming, it can be hard to find joy. Samantha knows this well; as a Seattle native herself, the wildfire season engulfs the west coast in a red, smoky hue. She says her personal experiences with climate change motivate her to seek out the challenging subject and bring people back into the conversation. There isn’t time to keep swiping past stories of earthquakes and hurricanes. She wants to remind people that even though it’s scary, it’s not the end and we have the power to be the change.
Samantha ended with a thank you to her roommate, “one of the most gracious and beautiful people,” that pushed her to be one of our Her Campus Students of the Year.
Her Campus is proud to hold this event to highlight the continuously hardworking and accomplished students of American University. The six student winners this year exemplify what it means to make an impact on the community and promote equality for everyone.
Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations to all our student winners!