University of Wisconsin-Superior students were honored for their hard work and dedication during the 2023-24 academic year during the Yellowjacket Student Excellence Awards ceremony, which took place Wednesday, April 24, in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room.

Hayk Arzumanyan, Evaline Britton, Haley Stalls and Kaitlyn Stender were named the recipients of the Chancellor’s Leadership Award. This award is given to members of the graduating class who are committed to personal growth and have made a positive contribution to their peers, campus and community.

Dean of Students Scholarships were presented to several UW-Superior students.

• Brooke Kleinschmidt was awarded the Jeanette Berthiaume Brandser Memorial Scholarship
• The Richard H. and Kathryn U. Cochrane Scholarship was presented to Brittany Maertz
• Laura Daly, Hailie Evans, Tamami Igeta, Kendallyn Kalenberg, Pratham Mundra and Janeen Wittkopf received the Oluf Haugsrud Scholarships
• The Gary Johnson Scholarship was presented to Larissa Snyder
• Lambda Sigma Lambda Scholarships were presented to Elroee Hailu and Taylor Powell
• The Joe Long Leadership Scholarship went to Travis Davis
• Laura Bryngelson was awarded the William & Olga Munnings Non-Traditional Student Scholarship
• Ethan DeFoe received the Dr. Dale A Newman First Nations Scholarship in honor of Robert L Houle
• Robert Olson received the Optimist Club Scholarship
• The Maureen Roin Scholarship was given to Becca Stricklen
• Adonyas Taye received the Monica Tikkanen Scholarship
• The Barb Torgerson Fund was presented to Ayla Ranta
• Emmet Appleby was awarded the Stephen Welsh Scholarship Fund
• Bradley Lellis received the Lloyd Williams Memorial Scholarship
• Ryan Avila received the Andy Borg VFW Scholarship
• Garrett Kroells was presented the Gerald Christensen Scholarship
• The Thomas Jorgenson Scholarship was awarded to Daniela Castiblanco Diaz
• Chase Murphy and Georgia Youngblood received Joseph H. Moline Scholarships
• The Stone Memorial Scholarship was presented to Claire Jarman
• The VFW Scholarship went to Daniel Nelson

The Department of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion presented several awards during the ceremony, including:

Lucca Zonta Paladini and Maelle Rihouey were presented Office of Intercultural Success Student Leadership Awards. The award is presented to a student who has demonstrated a passion for increasing diversity and inclusion through leadership.

The Indigenous Cultures Resource Center Student of the Year Award was presented to Nathan Stafford and Brittney Lozano. This award is presented to a student who has worked tirelessly to promote cultural diversity and awareness regarding First Nations and Indigenous cultures within the office as well as working with the Native Nations Student Organization to help support Indigenous students through outreach and programming.

Emmet Appleby received the Gender Equity Resource Center Student of the Year Award. The award goes to a student for their initiative to go above and beyond expectations in advancing and supporting people of minoritized gender and/or sexual identities.

Veteran and Non-Traditional Student of the Year awards went to Mechalle Poppy. This recognizes a student for perseverance, positivity, and being tenacious in achieving their goals.  

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Outstanding Leadership Awards were presented to Annabelle Fries, Raggi Carvalho, Yu Sato and Saya Kondo. These awards are presented to students that are dedicated to playing an active part in promoting diversity and inclusion at UW-Superior. These students are committed to creating environments where all people are welcome, regardless of background and/or identity. As leaders on our campus, recipients of the EDI awards go out of their way to enhance and promote the spirit of UW-Superior through their everyday work as well as their extracurricular involvement.

Student Involvement also presented awards to multiple organizations and students.

The Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award goes to a faculty or staff advisor of a student organization that has shared their professional knowledge, assisted the organization with setting and achieving goals, and encouraged the growth and development of its student leaders. This honor was awarded to Todd Blomfelt and Karen Valdez.

Nippon Cha Cha Cha received the Evolving Student Organization Award, which honors a recognized student organization that has demonstrated significant growth in the areas of membership development, program development or overall campus involvement in the past year.

The World Student Association received the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award. This award goes to a recognized student organization that has raised awareness around issues of diversity and inclusion as well as promoted a space for open and honest dialogue on topics related to diversity.

The Community Engagement Award celebrates a student organization for its substantial impact on the campus or community through volunteer work, service or activism. This recognition went to the World Student Association.

The Program of the Year Award was given to The Promethean. This recognition goes to a student organization program or event that has promoted student engagement, built a sense of community and enriched the lives of the campus and community through a student-initiated, directed and implemented program.  

The Outstanding Emerging Leader Award is presented to individuals who have shown significant and progressive growth in their leadership skills and abilities. They serve as positive role models for their peers and the campus community and show potential to take their leadership to the next level. This year’s recipients of the Outstanding Student Leader Awards were Oreoluwa Sofolahan and Isaiah Wiita.

The award for Outstanding Student Leader went to Usman Ahmad, Daniela Castiblanco Diaz, Bethlehem Bekele and Dillion Krisik. Individuals nominated for the award have shown continuous involvement and leadership in campus activities, while being consistent and effective in implementing their leadership skills.  

Tamami Igeta received the Student Involvement Staff Member of Excellence Award. This award is presented to a student staff member that has worked for Student Involvement for more than one year and in that time has gone above and beyond their job duties and surpassed expectations. These individuals are leaders not only in the workplace but model their leadership across campus and promote the spirit of UWS through their everyday work and their extracurricular involvement.

The Yellowjacket Activities Crew Staff Member of Excellence Award was presented to Ponika Bhandari and Edomiyas Asmerom. The YAC Staff Member of Excellence Award is presented to a student staff member that has worked for the Yellowjacket Activities Crew for more than one year and in that time has gone above and beyond their job duties and surpassed expectations. These individuals are leaders not only in the workplace but model their leadership across campus and promote the spirit of UWS through their everyday work and their extracurricular involvement.

Tamami Igeta and Lucas Palomino were recognized as graduates of Student Involvement’s Buzz 75 program. The Buzz 75 is a bucket list of activities designed for students at UW-Superior to enrich their college experience. This includes attending campus events, exploring various campus spaces, experiencing the local Twin Ports community, and participating in virtual or at-home activities. Students who hit milestones of 5, 10, 20, 40, and ultimately 75 activities receive unique Buzz 75 rewards.