A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend one of the most interesting events I have seen at FIU. This event was the Outstanding Student Life Awards where FIU recognized it’s most accomplished students for all the hard work they have done for the university. It really shows all the wonderful things students are doing while juggling their school work. There were over 200 nominations, which definitely shows the number of people who see and believe in these students to nominate them.
There are several categories with many nominees in each but only one or two recipients actually got the award. There was the Kaplan Prize, Outstanding Leadership award, Outstanding Service Award, Diversity Award, Spirit Award, Shining Star Award, Scholar Award and the Presidential Award. What I found really interesting was that there were not only individual awards, but groups had been nominated too. The 2017 Peer Advisors won the group Spirit Award for always going above and beyond what was expected of them and for representing FIU in the truest nature every where they went. The Outstanding Diversity Award went to the LGBTQA Student Ambassadors for their focus on education and awareness for social justice, and for organizing the first memorial and candlelight vigil for PULSE.
I think it is really important to recognize the hard work our students are putting into to make the FIU community, as well as all the lives they come in contact in better. I myself was awarded the Outstanding Sophomore Leadership Award for showing qualities of leadership and teamwork and earning a record of campus involvements. Being able to stand on that stage next to people like Alyssa Pepio who now runs a fully functioning non-profit organization, and Farah Guzman who is a research assistant at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and has been accepted to many graduate programs ranked in the top ten in the nation, was truly a blessing because I was able to learn things to help myself grow from them. I will always remember this event and how happy it made me, and I cant wait to do more for FIU and see what great things the students here can continue to do.
This is an event that happens every year, so if you have someone you know who is going above and beyond what it means to be a Panther here at FIU, make sure they get nominated next year!