UNO Student Lavanya Uppala Receives 2021 Marian Ivers Community Service Leadership Award

Lavanya Uppala's dedication to community service began in high school, serving on the Teen Advisory Board of the Millard Public Library, and eventually becoming president of the organization.

Uppala utilized her talents in computer science to teach programming to middle school students to improve digital literacy. From then, she served as the Nebraska Regional Director of CoderGirls, an international organization dedicated to decreasing the gender gap in STEM. She also served as a class representative at UNO for four years and now serves as senior class representative of the Honors Student Association, being a connector for students and various volunteering opportunities within the community.

Uppala’s is also the founder of a new student organization, the Mavericks for Change, which helps students become change leaders on campus. The organization and those UNO students involved volunteer with Open Door Mission, Lydia House, and at UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center) in its Cancer Resource and Wellness center. The organization is a member of the Standford University Innovation Fellowship.

Her endless community service hours and commitment to leadership stem from her own experiences. Uppala understands the complexity of community issues. Her focus is on health disparities due to gender and income. She is currently studying bioinformatics, biology, computer science, chemistry, and medical humanities. She is working hard to foster support for all members of the community by integrating evolving ideals and diverse populations, and to become a physician one day. She believes that becoming a physician will give her the platform to remove barriers to wellness and success by incorporating a holistic approach to wellness.