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The ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Involvement Awards ceremony is a free and open event that celebrates students, student organizations, faculty and staff who exemplify leadership and passion across the Boulder community. Each year the Center for Student Involvement joins together with ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä GOLD and Colorado Creed to recognize leadership and engagement across campus. Nominations for the awards are now open.

The annual ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Involvement Awards ceremony will be heldÌýApril 23Ìýin the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom.

Sindhu Sadineni,Ìýpresident of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM)—the student organization thatÌýwon the Student Organization of the Year and Community Action Award last year—andÌýstudentsÌýBrandee Lantz and Madeline Cupchak, who are a part of ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä GOLD and help plan the awards, discuss what the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Involvement Awards are, why they are important and how you can nominate students, student organizations, faculty and staff members.

What are the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Involvement Awards?

Sadineni: The awards celebrate and recognize student organizations, individual students and staff members who have been involved on campus and have made notable contributions to the campus community. The awards acknowledge those who exemplify remarkable leadership skills within the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder community.

Lantz: The awards are a way for student leaders to be recognized, whether they are in a student organization, or if they’re individual leaders or staff members. These awards highlight the hard work these individuals have put forth and how they have positively impacted others in the campus community.

There are nine student organization awards, six student awards and three faculty/staff awards.

Who gets nominated, and how do you nominate people for these awards?

Lantz: Any student organization, individual, staff or faculty member that has done something leadership-worthy on campus can be nominated. Students, student organizations, faculty and staff can nominate individuals through a nomination form that ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä GOLD makes available to everyone.

Sadineni: You can nominate people who you work with and you believe have made good progress.

Why should you nominate students, student organizations, faculty and staff members for these awards?

Sadineni: I am the president of oSTEM and it felt pretty incredible being recognized for all that I do. It is always nice to be appreciated and having validation for all the hard work that you’ve done. Oftentimes it can be really difficult to be a part of a community and make a difference. It helps you feel like you are not alone and that people care about what you are doing—it gives you a sense of belonging. Winning an award helped demonstrate that our organization is making progress. The award sure is a validating factor for people you work with, and it helped us find more people to join our organization.

I highly encourage individuals to look at the people who are inspiring them and the ones who help make them feel at home at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä. Go ahead and nominate them, if someone makes you feel like you belong!

Cupchak: It is important to hear about rising leaders and organizations, and it is a good way to get involved.

Lantz: Nominating people for these awards is a good way to recognize students for their hard work they have done on campus and for them to be recognized by other students. The awards are positive reinforcement for what these people are doing on campus and could encourage other students to get more involved.

It is extremely important that individuals around you and the people you work with on a day-to-day basis are recognizing your personal leadership and what you are doing on campus. Individuals should recognize when you are stepping outside of your comfort zone and becoming a leader in the campus community!

The deadline for nominations is April 12. Learn more and nominate someone today.