By: Melanie Wolf
Photos by Crystal Madrigal
North Central College honored distinguished students and student organizations at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at Wentz Concert Hall during the college’s annual Student Leadership Awards banquet. Though there are too many to name specifically, below is a sampling of the many awards and acknowledgements that were presented throughout the event.
The award ceremony was kicked off with the presentation of the Outstanding Alumni Award. This award is presented each year to one or more alumni who have excelled in their careers and have demonstrated service to the community of North Central College. The recipient of this year’s award is Stephanie Quirk M’11, Coordinator of Student Life at College of DuPage.
“Leadership is all about our ability to use our superpowers for good,” says Quirk.
She has done just that and heads the Living Leadership Program (LLP) at COD. Quirk earned her master’s degree in 2011 from North Central College in Leadership, Ethics & Values and revised College of DuPage’s LLP as part of her capstone project. She currently is pursuing her Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership at Benedictine University.
[metaslider id=4625]Midway through the presentation of awards, Jamie Mangiameli ’15, took the stage to present the Student Reflection, a speech that detailed her experience at NCC. As a Sociology major, a Resident Assistant and the Co-President of the Union, Mangiameli has kept quite busy during her time at North Central. However, she says that leadership is much more than being busy and is not defined by how many meetings you have to attend or how crammed your schedule may be.
Instead, she says true leaders “chase life and encourage others to do the same.”
Mangiameli was also the recipient of the Servant Leader Award; an award that is given to a senior man or woman who has demonstrated a commitment to applying their leadership knowledge and skills to the North Central College community and beyond.
A name that was heard multiple times throughout the night was Nikki Young ’15. As the President of Focus, Young received the Ministry & Service award. She also received the Student Life Leadership Award along with Matthew Wilke ’15 for their outstanding service to NCC’s Student Life.
The night was wrapped up with the presentation of the Student Organization Awards.
Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society event that gives people in communities a chance to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, won Outstanding Service Project.
The Union, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary on May 8, 2015, won Program of the Year.
Dr. Norval Bard, professor of French and chairperson of modern and classical languages and director of the Roberta I. Myers Language Resource Center won Advisor of the Year for French Club.
Last but not least, the final award of the night was presented to Focus, the weekly student-led worship service, which won the Student Organization of the Year award.
