On May 3, the 26th annual Beacon Leadership Awards were held in the Campus Center Ballroom. The Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement and the Office of Student Activities hosted the Beacon Leadership awards to honor and recognize students’ dedication to leadership both on and off campus. Over 115 nominations of students and student organizations were made by members of the University of Massachusetts Boston community for 11 categories.
Seventeen recipients were selected by an anonymous selection committee composed of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators. They reviewed and scored all of the nominations submitted.
Chancellor Barry Mills in his opening remarks of the ceremony addressed the students by saying: “For those of you who’ve done it [taken on a leadership role], it’s incredibly valuable, as I’ve said. Your involvement, your passion, your hard work is to be commended. If not for the example you set, we wouldn’t be the place that we are today.”
The first award that was given was the Michael A. Ventresca ’69 Student Leadership Award, a $1,000 scholarship to an undergraduate student “who has exemplified on-campus leadership that has directly benefited the undergraduate student body,” according to Dr. Shelby Harris, associate dean of students. The Michael A. Ventresca ’69 Student Leadership Award was created by members of the 2011-2012 Undergraduate Student Government to honor Ventresca as the first Student Body President for the Undergraduate Student Government and was added to the Beacon Leadership Awards for the first time this year. The recipient of the award was Ameina Mosley, a biology major with a pre-med concentration and Human Rights minor, who is the founder of the UNICEF Club and a member of the Model United Nations.
Janrey Javier, one of two recipients of the Beacon Emerging Leaders Award, which is given to students who have shown great leadership potential through their involvement on campus and in the community, stated: “I feel humbled and grateful to be given this very honoring award. From the moment I submitted my deposit at UMass Boston, I made a commitment to myself to become as involved as much as I can. I guess this is an indication that I’m doing something right.
Current Student Body President Katie Mitrano, recipient of the The Beacon Undergraduate Student Government Award, an award given to a member of the Undergraduate Student Government who has done outstanding work in representing their peers during the academic year, stated: “It’s an honor to receive this award. It’s reassuring to be recognized for the hard work you put into something, but honestly I don’t think I deserved it, I was just doing my job. But of course it’s an honor and I’m grateful for it.”
Chancellor Mills advised students by saying, “Be who you are. Don’t think that leadership means that you have to adopt the style of another person. Be who you are because at the end of night you’ve all been effective leaders.”
The awards and recipients include:
Michael A. Ventresca ’69 Leadership Award: Ameina Mosley
Beacon Individual Service Award: Sarah Dupont
Beacon Group Service Award: Jumpstart Team Leaders
Beacon Graduate Student Organization Award: No Lost Generation
Beacon Undergraduate Student Organization Award: Jumpstart and Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Interest Fraternity
Beacon Graduate Student Government Award: Kirsten Christensen
Beacon Undergraduate Student Government Award: Katie Mitrano
Beacon Unsung Hero Award: Ammany Ty
Beacon Program of the Year: Campus Kitchen’s TurkeyPalooza!
Beacon Graduate Student Leadership Award: Mariette Bien-Aime Ayala and Caitlin Carey
Beacon Undergraduate Student Leadership Award: Merveil Meyitang, Kellie Ruccolo, and Ashley Torres
Beacon Emerging Leader Award: Janrey Javier and Leo Smith