2017-18 Award Winners
Emerging Leader of the Year
Neicy Myers
Neicy has a passion and interest in uplifting and giving voice to women of color on campus to share their truths, and working with her as the student facilitator has truly taken WE3 to new heights! There have been a record number of 20 women who have participated in WE3 this year and that is in large part to Neicy’s recruiting and retention efforts. She has helped to make a welcoming space every Thursday for women of color to affirm one another in their Wake Forest experience while also introducing the women to mentors, resources and other student organizations on campus.
The Unsung Hero Award
Allegra Brochin
An unsung hero is someone who works hard for the betterment of others, without the goal of being recognized. This is at the heart of Pro Humanitate and is an example of the type of leaders Wake Forest seeks to develop. Allegra serves in many positions on campus, including the Student Union executive board, Tour Guide for Admissions, and works with the Marketing Team in Campus Recreation. She is extremely dedicated to all of the organizations and departments in which she participates. She has an energy and passion for Wake Forest and never asks to be rewarded. She can be seen at almost every event on campus, either hyping it up on social media or working it behind the scenes.
Living Our Values Award
Jakala Williams
This award recognizes a student who lives and exemplifies Pro Humanitate in all aspects of leadership. Jakala reaches out to students sitting alone in the Pit, she sees people for who they authentically are. She is so knowledgeable about resources on campus that she easily helps others find their place at Wake Forest. From the work she has has done with NRHH, to the stronger bonds she is attempting to build with both NRHH and the Resident Student Association and the partnerships we foster, to the time she spends getting to know everyone she can at Wake, Jakayla makes a difference every day. For the selfless work she has done consistently every year, and especially for all the work she did this year with NRHH, to strengthen the organization and increase both recognition and service on campus, Jakayla is deserving of the Living our Values Award. She truly embodies Pro Humanitate and our institutional values.
The Bridge Builder Award
Kathryn Repp
Kathryn exemplifies what it means to build a bridge within the WFU campus community to help people bust myths and break barriers around mental health. She has been a leader within the Student Mental Health Ambassadors, and through that role has been able to effectively establish collaborative efforts among fraternities, the WFU PEERS Network, and the University Counseling Center to “Stop the Stigma” around discussions of mental health for all people within the campus community. Through her efforts, she has been able to inspire others, including a collaborative effort with the Kappa Alpha Order to empower men to raise awareness about mental health as well.
Outstanding First Year Student Leader
Tris Harper
Tris has served as the Treasurer for the Young Democratic Socialists of America since its inception early last semester. A nominitor states, “There was no way, in my mind, that someone so new to Wake Forest and to the Winston-Salem community could be so enthusiastic about bettering these communities, or so capable of organizing, inspiring, mediating, and leading such a diverse and passionate group of students.” The fervor with which they approach any and every situation is inescapable and inspiring. Their ability and willingness to take on absolutely any task that needed to be done has sustained our chapter throughout these last two semesters.
Outstanding Sophomore Student Leader
Ryan Rhodes
A nominator states, “this student is the most ambitious person I’ve met at Wake Forest. Nearly every time I talk with him he raves about a development in the world of finance and how much he’s looking forward to having a career in that sector.” This interest then manifests itself in the Dow Jones Club, where he serves as the president. He has a constant drive to learn more about what’s happening in the world around him, and he does all he can to bring in speakers and research topics to satisfy this desire.”
Outstanding Junior Student Leader
Sarah Hambright
Sarah is the Training Lieutenant for Wake Forest EMS. She has been in charge of working with probationary members and helping them learn, understand and gain the confidence of taking care of their fellow Deacs when experiencing a medical emergency. Since joining two years ago, Sarah has developed the leadership skills to help grow and develop new members of Wake EMS.
Outstanding Senior Student Leader
Jack Garvey
Jack’s vision for our campus is to develop a community united by our common love of Wake Forest through the unity of our campus leaders. He has taken the steps to accomplish this vision by initiating “All Leaders Meetings” wherein all campus leaders and Presidents were invited to meet and discuss ways that our campus can be more inclusive. Leaders from all kinds of organizations, from event planning to athletics and to Greek life, joined the conversation and have laid the groundwork for the future leaders of this campus. Jack has been a part of Screaming Demon, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Student Union. He has continuously pushed himself to become a stronger leader and a stronger person as each year has gone by.
Chinuntdet-Crowe Leadership Scholarship Recipient
Morgan Briggs
Morgan is a Junior from Knoxville, TN, majoring in Business and Enterprise Management as well as Religion . She has exemplified leadership in multiple areas, such as serving as the procurement chair for Campus Kitchen, council member on the Honor and Ethics council, first-year service initiative creator in the Pro Humanitate Institute, resident adviser in Residence Life and Housing, treasurer and peer minister for Wake Forest Catholic Community, servant team member for Athletes in Action, President’s Aide, tour guide trainer for ambassadors in admissions, special events co-chair and PR chair for volunteer service corps, show host on Wake Radio, member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, and team captain for Hit the Bricks.
Student Leader of the Year
Meli Fonseca
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Meli has been a leader in both the LGBTQ center and the Event Resource Manager team. This past fall, she spearheaded the very first Queer First Year program initiative, designed to welcome LGBTQ+ first year students to the institution and provide them a small, cohort style community to connect and grow with during their first semester. She identified a challenge, the challenge for incoming students to find supportive and welcoming communities beginning when they first get to campus, and created an initiative to overcome that challenge in creating Queer First Year.
New Student Organization of the Year
Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees
Since this organization was chartered in October 2017, it has been a leader in the community through its daily service, collaboration with other student orgs and Winston Salem non-profits, and community events which bring a diverse and appreciative audience on campus. This organization has partnered with a coalition of WF professors called Every Campus a Refuge, which entails supporting a refugee family. To that end, this new organization has members who tutor daily, teaching English to seven children and three adults, every day Monday-Thursday.
Outstanding Collaboration of the Year
Negin Farsad Comedy Show – Muslim Student Association & Student Union
Earlier this year, two student organizations joined together to bring social justice comedian and TEDFellow Negin Farsad to campus, to discuss issues of Islamophobia and gender rights through a comedic lens. While each of the organizations could have run the event on their own, what made this event so special and successful was that that they truely worked together to plan, market and execute the event from start to finish. In addition to bringing Negin, they continued their partnership with to bring a Tuesday Trivia event to Shorty’s during Islam Awareness Week.
Event of the Year
Taekwondo Club – Self Defense Brush Up
This event had a few risks that needed to be navigated in order for it to succeed. The student organization invited PREPARE such that in the case of a participant who wanted some more info about safe places on campus, they had the resources to reach out to. Since this was a physical event, where participants would be learning self defense techniques, they talked with the Office of Student Engagement and came up with a waiver to ensure that the school and the instructors of the event would not be held liable for any potential injuries. They brought two different styles, Hapkido (Japanese Martial Arts) and Filipino martial arts to the self defense class. This allowed participants to experience different cultures and obtain a greater appreciation for a culture they may not have known much about before The self defense brush up was an event that helped students, faculty, and staff feel safer on campus.
Student Organization of the Year
Student Union
This organization is truly “Everywhere you want to be”. They have planned events meant for all parts of the Wake Forest community and renewed initiatives for creating more meaningful collaborations with other groups. From trivia night and film night collaborations to our highly successful Negin Farsad comedy show collaboration with MSA, they have made a real effort to plan events from the ground up with other organizations. This organization’s staple events have truly brought together many different people from across campus. As early as the Homecoming Bonfire all the way through Lighting of the Quad and both aWake All Nights and to the ever so fun Springfest and Shag on the Mag.
Campus Partner of the Year
Jonathan McElderry
Jonathan goes above and beyond to assists organizations with planning and execution of successful campus wide programs. Throughout the academic year they have been intentional on engaging campus partners and student organizations in bringing quality programming to Wake. They started by welcoming the Class of 2021 at Orientation through our Latinx Families Reception, Intercultural Center Information Session and partnered with the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center, and International Student Scholars and Services to host the Multicultural and International Welcome Reception. Additionally, their office collaborated with the Office of Wellbeing to bring “Sunday Night Thrive” which offered food, fun and a social atmosphere for students concluding orientation before the first day of school.
Advisor of the Year
Trey Kalny – Student Union
A nominator states, “I have been fortunate enough to have him as my advisor for the past two years. He has spent so much time getting to know me and making me feel like I always had someone looking out for me, even though I had just met him. From then on, he has become a personal mentor to myself and many other in the Student Union family. He has been an exceptionally amazing advisor in his ability to support me in both my academic life and my career aspirations as I look towards graduating in May.”
Advisor Achievement Award
Kathy Arnett
According to one nominator, “this individual is by far the most influential advisor that I have been fortunate of working with and personally knowing. Before attending Wake Forest, all the advice I was given was to make sure to meet her.” Another nominator states, “Most of the traditions we know today, started with her – homecoming bonfire, family weekend as we know it today, shag on the mag, lighting of the quad, Friday night movies, Wake Frost, and President’s Ball.” Her continued passion for Student Union, student organizations, and events, truly comes from her passion to make Wake Forest a welcoming, exciting, and fun place for all of its students. Anyone who has gone by the Student Engagement office recognizes that her office is seldom empty. And, although she has often found herself busy working with all sorts of different organizations throughout the past couple of years, Kathy has always been there for all of us. If you haven’t heard about the “Charlie Brown” Christmas Tree at the first Lighting of the Quad or the small tent full of people at the first Shag on the Mag, it’s definitely worth a visit to her office. There is a special reason why we all know her as “Mamma Kathy,” and that’s because she cares for all of her students as if they were her own children.