LEAP Awards

UNC Asheville Honors Students, Faculty and Staff with Spring 2022 Leadership Awards

By UNC Asheville

April 27^th, 2022

UNC Asheville presented its annual student, faculty and staff leadership awards in a special ceremony on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

The University’s two most prestigious student service awards went to Ron Dumas and Grace Sloan. Faculty member Sally Wasileski was also honored for her service to students.

Ron Dumas received the William and Ida Friday Award honoring outstanding in service to the community. Dumas has served as a leader in the PILOT (Policy Innovative Leaders of Tomorrow) program, a student-driven public policy team dedicated to instituting a long-term sustainable solution to food insecurity at UNC Asheville. PILOT has created a coalition of more than 20 campus and non-campus community organizations, and has partnered with the Financial Aid Department and Buncombe County Health and Human Services to clarify the impacts of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs on a student’s financial aid. Similarly, PILOT brought together representatives of Chartwells, UNC Asheville’s Food Equity Initiative, Student Affairs, the Feed the Homeless organization, Academic Advising, and the Student Environmental Center to create the Food Security Coalition dedicated to creating a meal-swipe sharing program in which students can donate their unused meal swipes to food-insecure students who cannot afford a meal plan.

Grace Sloan received the A.C. Reynolds Award & Thomas D. Reynolds Prize for Campus Service. Sloan served as Vice President of the UNC Asheville Student Honors Committee, a Student Health Ambassador, Secretary of the Women in STEM Committee, and as a chemistry tutor and Course Ambassador. Sloan has had a major impact on the women's soccer team as team captain, where she helped guide the team through the pandemic restrictions. She has also served the greater community through her work making and distributing facemasks in the first few months of COVID-19, working at the MANNA Food Bank, and Coaching a Special Olympics Soccer Top Soccer team.

Champion for Students Award

Sally Wasileski, chair and professor of chemistry, received the Champion for Students Award. Wasileski was recognized for going above and beyond to ensure student safety and well-being, by extending office hours and personally checking in on her students. Students value her help as an advisor and a mentor. “She has helped to shape who I am as a student,” one student said, “but also as an individual, and I am forever grateful to have been fortunate to meet her and be a part of her department.”

Student Leaders and Organizations Awards

The following students and organizations also were honored:

UNCA for Menstrual Equity received the Student Organization of the Year Award. The organization was recognized for their partnerships with community organizations such as Helpmate, Planned Parenthood, and WNCAP to provide violence prevention and sexual health programming at the University, and for conducting their work through a racial equity lens.

The Collaboration of the Year Award went to the Student Health Ambassadors, who provided support to the campus community during the pandemic through providing resources--primarily through social media--in-person and virtual peer to peer support.

UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association received the Program of the Year Award for their “This Is Us” BIPOC Art Show. The program highlighted art from BIPOC students across the UNC System, highlighting their talent and sharing their stories and lived experiences.

Sam Beichler was awarded Student Employee of the Year for his work in Campus Recreation. Beichler serves in a student supervisor position, and manages the other frontline workers and works with them with compassion and uplifting attitudes while ensuring proper building duties are completed.

The Student Employee Supervisor of the Year Award went to Senuri Fernando for her work leading the student team of Career Peers for the Career Center. Fernando serves as a role model for her fellow students and is an advocate for students and for the University.

Rose Gilbert received the Intern of the Year Award for her service as an intern with the Asheville Humane Society. Gilbert assisted with the weekly Supply Drive-Thru, communicated with community partners, provided support to clients, and more.

Sam Driewer received the Michael Addae-Kumi Emerging Student Leader Award for his significant contributions to the Fraternity and Sorority Life community on campus. He is an active member of the FSL Action Team, which was established to re-envision a values-based Fraternity and Sorority Life experience at UNC Asheville. As a first-year student, he has already been nominated to serve as president of the organization next year.

The Student Leader of the Year Award was presented to Demon Thomas, former president of the Student Government Association, for his work bringing together students regardless of race, gender, sexuality looking to engage, explore, and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion at UNC Asheville. He was recognized for his ability not only to lead, but to nurture, support and motivate others to lead, as well.

Footnotes

Photos by Eric Barrera.

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FootNotes

Photos by Eric Barrera.

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