Wellesley Students and Organizations Honored with Excellence in Leadership Awards

WELLESLEY, Mass. --On Wellesley’s campus, leaders are everywhere—in residence halls, classrooms, student organizations, committees, volunteer groups, and more.This month, the office of Student Activities honored a few of those leaders with the Excellence in Leadership Awards.

In addition to an individual excellence in leadership award and a student organization of the year, the categories also included a group award for excellence in programming; a social justice award; and an “unsung hero” award.

This year, the excellence in leadership award went to Angeles Garcia ’09, for her work in Residence Life as a House President. Spectrum president Cathy Chu ’10 earned a social justice award for her role in re-forming Mission Change, a student advocacy group seeking to improve resources and support for queer students at Wellesley. And Victoria Charoonratana ’09 was honored as an “unsung hero” for her committed involvement in College Government Senate.

In the group category, several student organizations also received recognition in the Leadership Awards. For excellence in programming, Spectrum took top honors for its year-long series of programming seeking to raise awareness of queer issues on campus. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship stood out in the social justice category, earning an award for its work hosting the Katrina Relief Urban Plunge program. And finally, as student organization of the year, the Chinese Student Association (CSA) came out on top for its efforts to build community both within and outside its own group.

According to Kris Niendorf, director of residential and campus life, CSA offered excellent programming—such as a weekly Chinese table allowing students to practice their language skills—and also fostered cooperation within the Asian community at Wellesley. “The Chinese Student Association was recognized as organization of the year for their work with the Pan Asian Council, which helped to build strength among the many Asian organizations on campus,” she said.

Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students from all 50 states and 68 countries.

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