Student Organization Award Winners

Student Organizations would like to congratulate the recipients of our awards from the 2018 Student Leadership Awards Ceremony. We had many outstanding submissions and we would like to thank everyone that took that time to nominate someone.

Our Advisor of the Year was Abbie Syrek of MavForensics. This award is give to the advisor of an organization who contributes to the mission of the organization, supports engagement in the UNO and Omaha communities, and to whom the students can reflect their value and impact on the organization. Here is an excerpt from her nomination letter: “Under Abbie’s guidance, MavForensics has had seven students win national championships, the team has been ranked top 10 nationally for 10 years in a row and has won 5 state championships… her unmatched sacrifice, empowering leadership, immeasurable passion and unconditional love make her the best candidate for this award.”

Our Outstanding Commitment to Community Engagement Award was presented to the Student Veteran Organization. Their nomination letter said that they “centered their platform and work on community engagement” and went on to detail the many ways they have served the community over the past year such as serving at the Heartland Food Bank monthly, having lunch with veterans at the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home, and hosting Coffee Talks and Veteran Success Groups.

The Outstanding Student Organization Member Award was given to Henamari Ybay of the Goodrich Organization. This category was overflowing with submissions but in the end, Henamari's was the best of the best. An excerpt from her nomination: “In the 18 years I have been the faculty advisor to GO!, no member of the organization has embodied th[e mission of the organization] more than Ms. Ybay… I have seen the ebb and flow of many organizations on campus, including GO! And I am very proud of the activity of GO! And the impact it has had on its members this academic year. Without a doubt, this impact is directly related to Ms. Ybay.”

Finally, The Outstanding Student Organization Award was presented to the Midwestern Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC) 2018 Planning Committee. This award is presented to an organization that best fulfills their defined mission, actively engages with the UNO and Omaha communities, and is visible on campus. With almost 200 student organizations on campus, we had a wide range of amazing groups to pick from. Here is an excerpt from their nomination letter: “I couldn’t be prouder of the student leaders involved in planning MBLGTACC 2018… Understanding that inclusion is an active and intentional process, the hosting of MBGLTACC… at UNO represents a crucible moment for all us in making our campus and city more accessible and supportive for LGBT+ individuals. This is a great gift and opportunity for all of us. A gift and opportunity made possible by a group of hardworking, caring, and committed Mavericks.”

Again, congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who took the time to submit nominations!