Trinity Announces Student Leadership and Service Award Winners

Despite its students making their home around the world this year, Trinity University continues to celebrate its students’ dedication to leadership and service. The Division of Student Life collaborates annually with the Office of Alumni Relations to recognize outstanding students for their service to the campus and greater San Antonio communities.

“You have truly made an impact,” Trinity President Danny Anderson told award winners in a video sent to them. “In the face of uncertainty, you helped us stand strong. You saw opportunity and brought us together. You demonstrated leadership and service when it was needed most.” As thanks for these numerous and profound contributions to the campus community, honorees received a package containing their physical award, a ceremony program, and a personal letter from Sheryl Tynes, vice president for Student Life. Heart of Trinity recipients also received a letter from Mike Bacon, vice president for Alumni Relations and Development, congratulating them on behalf of the Board of Visitors and the Trinity University Alumni Association Board.

“While we are unable to celebrate in person this year, we stand firm in our tradition of honoring and recognizing student leaders in our community,” Anderson says. In that spirit of celebration, here are the 2021 honorees for Trinity’s Student Leadership and Service Awards:

The Roman M. Lubetzky KINDness Award

The Roman M. Lubetzky Endowment Fund for Kindness seeks to encourage the attributes of kindness and noble behavior among Trinity students. Daniel Lubetzky, vice president of the Roman and Sonia Lubetzky Foundation, is a 1990 graduate of Trinity University. Building on his international upbringing and his Trinity experiences, including study abroad in Israel, Lubetzky founded PeaceWorks in 1994, an international food company producing products incorporating ingredients from nations on opposing sides of political conflicts. As the most prestigious of the Student Leadership commendations, this award recognizes a student who embodies the virtues of kindness and scholarship. 

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Thomás Peña ’22
Roma-Los Saenz, Texas

Presidential Awards of Excellence

This award is given to senior students in recognition of their long-term commitment and extensive, multi-role involvement in the community. These students have enhanced campus life by acting as role models and creating opportunities for others to lead as well as are dedicated to collaboration/partnerships, innovative practices, and Intentional Inclusion.  

Giselle Britt ’21
Tucson, Arizona

Jordan Bruce ’21
Falmouth, Maine

Ryanna Chouman '21
Austin, Texas

Lilian E. De La Rosa ’21
Houston, Texas

Meghan Desai ’21
Sugar Land Texas

Mary Elsie Duran ’21
Managua, Nicaragua

Gabriella Garriga ’21
Odessa, Texas

Jaelen Harris ’21
Dallas, Texas

Genevieve Humphreys ’21
Tucson, Arizona

Kirsten Iyare ’21
Houston, Texas

Ethan Jones ’21
Fort Worth, Texas

Logan Muzyka ’21
Kennedale, Texas

Devon Patel ’21
Las Vegas, Nevada

Morgan Preston ’21
Flower Mound, Texas

Cecelia Turkewitz ’21
Bethesda, Maryland

Dr. Coleen Grissom Continued Commitment and Dedication Award

This award recognizes students who have made substantive contributions to their communities through long-term service and depth of involvement. 

Jenna Ashworth ’21
Houston, Texas

Erin C. Eckert '21
Pflugerville, Texas

Carmen Johnson ’21
Fort Worth, Texas

Margaret Lupo ’21
Austin, Texas

Kayla A. Padilla ’21
Edinburg, Texas

Thurman Adkins "Unsung Hero" Award

This award recognizes students who have demonstrated loyalty and unselfish devotion to their communities through significant, yet uncelebrated contributions. These students have gone above and beyond the call of duty and work “behind the scenes” to create change. Thurman Adkins served as a thoughtful and dutiful administrator in the Division of Student Affairs, retiring in 1999 to collective appreciation for his personal integrity, fair-minded leadership, and calm demeanor. 

Cade Blalock ’22
Slidell, Louisiana

Oliver Chapin-Eiserloh ’22
Austin, Texas

Gracen Hoyle '22
Newton, North Carolina

Runyu Li '22
Kunming, Yunnan, China

Mona Mirpour ’22
Houston, Texas

Victory Ogubuike ’22
Houston, Texas

Emerging Student Leader Award

This award recognizes a first-year, sophomore, or transfer student who has demonstrated significant potential for success through community involvement and exploration of the unfamiliar. 

Elyshia Qichun Danaher ’23
Austin, Texas

Christina Garcia ’23
San Ramon, California

Gisselle Hluz ’23
Houston, Texas

Sofia Muñoz ’23
Houston, Texas

Sydney T. Rhodes ’23
Fort Worth, Texas

Emma Caroline Ross ’23
Kansas City, Kansas

Riley Ruchti ’23
Austin, Texas

Chloe Scroggins ’23
Sugar Land, Texas

Diversity & Inclusion Award

This award recognizes students who have actively broken down barriers and constructed a socially just space in their community. These students are dedicated to advancing the University's core mission of Intentional Inclusion as well as open dialogue, and who are actively engaged in cultivating diversity, equity, and social justice within the community.

Gabriella Garriga ’21
Odessa, Texas

Jaelen Harris ’21
Dallas, Texas

Julian Valadez ’22
Houston, Texas

Mai Vo Phuong Ngoc  ’22
Hanoi, Vietnam

Tigers on the Rise

 

This award is awarded by the Alumni Association in partnership with Alumni Relations and Development to junior students who are committed to being stewards of Trinity University through leadership and engagement on and off campus. These students are dedicated to paying it forward to those students who come after them. Award recipients will also be invited to join the Senior Legacy Committee to serve as representatives of their class.

Natalia Gonzalez ’22
Lubbock, Texas

Katie Maloan ’22
Norman, Oklahoma

 

Ivy Nguyen ’22
Houston, Texas

Wren Ramos ’22
Houston, Texas

Heart of Trinity Student Service Award

The Board of Visitors and Trinity University Alumni Association, in partnership with the Division of Alumni Relations and Development, recognizes one to four seniors each year for outstanding service to the University. Honorees promote building lifelong relationships between and among current students, the campus community, and alumni by making significant contributions to the Trinity community or greater community through service, initiative, leadership, and loyalty to the university. 

Anna Avery ’21
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mary Frances Lembke ’21
Vestavia Hills, Alabama

Miranda Marie Montoya ’21
Pasadena, Texas

Rojan Shrestha ’21
Kathmandu, Nepal