Celebration of Leadership

Celebration of Leadership Award Descriptions (click to expand)

Nominations for the 2022-2023 academic year are closed – please check back in Spring 2024 for when nominations are open again
If you have questions about the process, eligibility, or the award ceremony, please reach out to engage@plu.edu.

AWARDS CATEGORIES

Leadership is the ethical engagement of influence that is expressed through advocacy, vision, drive, and cultivation of shared purpose and is realized through positive impact that is understood in community and in reciprocal relationships with others. With this definition in mind, the following awards have been created to recognize graduating students.

  • Leadership in Living PLU Mission Award: This award honors a graduating student for their exceptional leadership contributions to the PLU and greater Tacoma communities. As the highest honor presented by the Division of Student Life, this award recognizes student excellence in leadership that embodies the ideals and values expressed through the University Mission: PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.
  • Leadership in Social Justice Award: This award recognizes a graduating student who has served as an agent of change. The individual receiving this award has contributed to increasing the PLU community’s capacity for the awareness and action necessary for justice; prioritized and engaged diversity and inclusion at PLU, local, regional, and/or global communities; and has committed to the personal learning necessary for efficacy in this work. The recipient also has and will continue to engage in both philosophical and practical educational opportunities, which promote greater learning, appreciation and understanding of diverse perspectives.
  • Leadership in Sustainability Award: This award honors a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership through education and advocacy for the sustainability of the earth and its inhabitants. The recipient has engaged the interconnection between people, planet, and prosperity and incorporated economic, ethical, and environmental concerns into their lives and relationships with others.
  • Leadership through Collaboration Award: This award honors a graduating student who through collaborative leadership and enthusiasm for cross-campus connections, has made contribution that has improved the PLU student experience in specific ways or as a whole. This individual challenges individuals and the PLU community as a whole to live up to the ideals embedded in the University Mission.
  • Leadership through Innovation Award: This award honors a graduating student who demonstrated innovation through thought and action and who has contributed greatly to the improvement of the PLU community or student experience in a transformational and groundbreaking way.
  • Leadership through Mentoring Award: This award honors a graduating student who through mentorship of other students has recognized their strengths, encouraged them to their cultivate strengths and utilize them for the good of community, and supported them to explore their passions and vocation.
  • Leadership in Vocation Award: This award honors a graduating student who is purposeful in exploring, discerning and living their vocation in a way that serves both their purpose and academic pursuits and that contributes to the lives of others by meeting a “world’s greatest need”.  This student has a comprehensive understanding of the reflective process required for discerning vocation and a demonstrated track record in influencing their peers by mentoring them in discerning their vocation and leading and guiding them to contribute to response to world’s greatest need.

We also recognize that continuing students contribute to the greater community and wish to recognize the leadership shown by students who will continue as students at PLU.

  • The Knights of the Rose Window honors students who are continuing their undergraduate education at PLU. It is designed as a purposeful way to recognize and gather student leaders who have enhanced the campus and their communities through leadership and engagement that embodies the ideals expressed in the University Mission: PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.
  • Lutes Living the Mission recognizes individuals and groups that have quietly and loudly advanced the mission of PLU by fostering growth in thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care. Through their actions and development of programs and services, the recipients of these awards have promoted innovation, engagement, and holistic-wellbeing to support student success, transition, and graduation.They provide opportunities for others to become involved and transform through care and service at PLU and in the Parkland/Tacoma community. The four categories are Inquiry, Service, Leadership, and Care.

Student Clubs and Organizations also serve an important role in providing community to students attending PLU. Please note the following awards that are available for individual students, program, and organizations within PLU.

  • Student Organization of the Year is awarded to a student-led club or organization that contributes to the larger PLU community and works to fulfill the University Mission: PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.
  • Program of the Year is awarded to programs that were student-led and contributed to a greater sense of community and belonging for PLU students. Programs will be awarded in multiple categories, including social, social justice, educational, and service program of the year.
  • Individual Awards recognize many different kinds of student leaders at PLU.
    • Outstanding Officer of the Year
    • Outstanding Advisor of the Year
    • Quiet Influence Award

Graduating Senior Awards:

Student eligible for graduation at the conclusion of this academic year, as well as students who graduated the previous December, (for example: a student who graduated in December 2019 may be nominated for an award in 2020) and have not received a Senior award previously are eligible for the following awards. This award category can also recognize students in their PLUS year. 

LEADERSHIP IN LIVING PLU MISSION AWARD

This award honors a graduating student for their exceptional leadership contributions to the PLU and greater Tacoma communities. As the highest honor presented by the Division of Student Life, this award recognizes student excellence in leadership that embodies the ideals and values expressed through the University Mission: PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.

2023 Recipient: Aniya Pickett

2022 Recipient: Kerry Dolan

Congratulations!

LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

This award honors a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership through education and advocacy for the sustainability of the earth and its inhabitants. The recipient has engaged the interconnection between people, planet, and prosperity, and incorporated economic, ethical, and environmental concerns into their lives and relationships with others.

No individuals were nominated for this award in 2022 or 2023. 

LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION AWARD

This award honors a student who has demonstrated innovation through thought and action, and who has contributed greatly to the improvement of the PLU community or student experience in a transformational and groundbreaking way

2023 Recipients: Mackenzie Mayhem & Cas Hebert

LEADERSHIP IN VOCATION AWARD

This award honors a graduating student who is purposeful in exploring, discerning and living their vocation in a way that serves both their purpose and academic pursuits and that contributes to the lives of others.  This student has a comprehensive understanding of the reflective process required for discerning vocation and a demonstrated track record in influencing their peers by mentoring them in discerning their vocation and leading and guiding them to contribute to respond to the world’s greatest need.

2023 Recipients: Kiah Miller & Nick Etzell

2022 Recipient: Sarah Nelson

Congratulations!

LEADERSHIP IN SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARD

This award recognizes a graduating student who has served as an agent of change. The individual receiving this award has contributed to increasing the PLU community’s capacity for the awareness and action necessary for justice; prioritized and engaged diversity and inclusion at PLU, local, regional, and/or global communities; and has committed to the personal learning necessary for efficacy in this work. In the spirit of PLU’s emphasis on integrated and continual learning, the recipient also has and will continue to engage in both philosophical and practical educational opportunities, which promote greater learning, appreciation and understanding of diverse perspectives.

2022 Recipient: Hannah Si’itia

Congratulations!

LEADERSHIP IN COLLABORATION AWARD

This award honors a graduating student who, through collaborative leadership and enthusiasm for cross-campus connections, has made a contribution that has improved the PLU student experience in specific ways or as a whole. This individual challenges others and the PLU community to live up to the ideals embedded in the university’s mission.

2023 Recipients: Syd Cameron, Danny Samson, and Mona Nieman

2022 Recipient: Mary Sarpong

Congratulations!

LEADERSHIP IN MENTORING

This award honors a graduating student who through the mentorship of other students has recognized their strengths, encouraged them to their cultivate strengths and utilize them for the good of community, and supported them to explore their passions and vocation.

2023 Recipients: Sahara Jones, Jenna Tapia, Drake Nguyen, and Hailey Marie Wharton

2022 Recipient: Miguel Ordañez

Congratulations!

LUTES LIVING THE MISSION

Lutes Living the Mission recognizes individuals and groups that have quietly and loudly advanced the mission of PLU by fostering growth in thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care. Through their actions and development of programs and services, the recipients of these awards have promoted innovation, engagement, and holistic-wellbeing to support student success, transition, and graduation.They provide opportunities for others to become involved and transform through care and service at PLU and in the Parkland/Tacoma community. 

LUTES Living the Mission is awarded to individuals who always ask the questions…. Why? What if? Who does this serve? and How can we do better? 

  • Those highlighted in Inquiry have created initiatives that have increased collaboration, innovation, and/or a willingness to try new approaches.
  • Individuals awarded in the category of Service contribute to a sense of community on campus or by encouraging students to come together and meaningfully engage with one another.
  • Individuals awarded in the category of Care have demonstrated care for self and others, uplifting wellness, holistic health, and addressing inequities. 
  • Individuals in the category of Leadership uplift those who recognize impact, engage respectfully and collaboratively with others, embrace equitable decision-making, and demonstrate courage to both speak up and listen.

(all continuing students are eligible for these awards)

PAST AWARD NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS

2023 Recipients: Luke Farag & Seth Gebauer (Leadership), Karen Zamora-Chavez (Inquiry), Andrés Felix and Elijah Paez (Care), Victoria Parsons and Molly House (Service)

2022 Recipients: Cece Chan and Cailey Collado.

KNIGHTS of the Rose Window

This leadership distinction has become synonymous with aspiring LUTES who engage in leadership, service, and community impact. This group of students not only discovered ways to thrive through connection, they helped their peers thrive.

Peers, faculty, and staff can nominate students to receive the Knights of the Rose Window recognition. This recognition is reserved for continuing students who explore to discover, learn by doing to develop skills, and apply their strengths in inquiry, service, leadership and care – for self, others, community, and the earth.

PAST AWARD NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS

This leadership distinction has become synonymous with excellence in leadership, service, and community impact.

2023 Recipients: Aku Dogbe, Andy Valentin, Brian Sung, Caden Ankrom, Caleb Lawson, Courtney Tudor, Daniel Beck, Danielle Poulin, Dillon Benacerraf-Gajda, Emma Tandara, Evelyn Ayala Avila, Gabriela Vera-Kavanaugh, Hailey Staats, Jamae Clemons, Jasneet Kaur Sandhu, Joseph Middleton, Kenzie Knapp, Kloey Talbert, Marissa Smith, Maryjane Norton, Mattie Tupper, McKenzie Frazier, Meghan Bonafilia, Molly House, Nya Spivey, Saifullah Penick, Samantha Atienza, Stella Schena-Gordon, Taezha Watson, Taylor Pasquale, Thea Pulido

2022 Recipients: Abigail Cox, Abigail Thompson, Aniya Pickett, Casiana Lucero, Christian Cutter, Cora Beeson, Emily Enos, Fiona Ashton-Knochel, Gabriel Murray, Haley Nguyen, Hiuying Lin, Jack Johnson, Jackie Wray, Jessie Dougherty, John Mejia, Kaden Bolton, Karen Zamora-Chavez, Lorelei Eddy, Margaret Murdoch, Nicholas Etzell, Skye Gibbs, Tiffany Wong, Zachary Tevault.

2020 Recipients: Aaron Miller, AJ Moore, Alissa Ouanesisouk, Bethany Girma, Bryant Barlett, Carlos Alvarez, Casey Brown, Cece Chan, Danny Samson, Hannah Jeffries, Heze Goodwin, Hunter Hobbs, Joey Grabowski, Kayna Kliewer, Miguel Ordanez, Rayna LaFave-Clark, and Sheridan Moore.

Congratulations!