Ceremony at Old State Capitol recognizes the top student from each college and university in Illinois
Samantha Allen of Park Forest is the Student Laureate from Governors State University
SPRINGFIELD – (ENEWSPF)–November 11, 2016. Governor Bruce Rauner announced today the 2016 outstanding college students who will be honored by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. The Academy will recognize these students during the annual Student Laureate Convocation at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 12 at the Old State Capitol in Springfield.
“President Lincoln’s legacy is a reminder of the power of public service and civic engagement here in Illinois and across the country,” said Governor Rauner. “The students chosen to receive this honor have exemplified the principles and ideals of the greatest Illinoisan through their hard work and dedication to their schools and communities.”
The Lincoln Academy’s Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Awards are presented for excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities to seniors from each of the state’s four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities, and one student from the community colleges in Illinois. At the Student Laureate Convocation, each student will receive a Student Laureate Medallion, along with a $1,000 educational grant and a certificate of achievement. This is the 42nd year Lincoln Academy has celebrated students’ excellence in Illinois.
Student Laureate Rachel Hile-Broad of the University of Chicago will speak on behalf of all the Laureates. The invocation will be delivered by Eric Fulcomer, President of Rockford University, and the benediction will be delivered by Eureka College President Jamel Santa Cruze Wright. The Sangamon Woodwind Consort will provide music, and a luncheon at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel will follow the Student Laureate Convocation.
The Lincoln Academy, unique among the 50 states, was established more than 50 years ago to honor distinguished citizens with the state’s highest award, the Order of Lincoln. The 53rd Annual Convocation and Investiture of Laureates of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will take place Saturday, May 6, 2017 at the Chicago History Museum.
| School | Student | Home Town |
| Augustana College | Christopher S. Saladin | Carthage, MO |
| Aurora University | Laura E. Dierking | Aurora, IL |
| Benedictine University | Brandon Nguyen | Oswego, IL |
| Blackburn College | Veronica Milligan | Taylorville, IL |
| Bradley University | Charles J. Barchett | Benton Harbor, MI |
| Chicago State University | Darren David Martin | Chicago, IL |
| Columbia College – Chicago | Rasul Freelain | Chicago, IL |
| Concordia University Chicago | Connor Lee Wondrasch | Rochester, MN |
| DePaul University | Jessica Villagomez | Willowbrook, IL |
| Dominican University | Raunel Urquiza | Chicago, IL |
| Eastern Illinois University | Michaela Lee Crabtree | Ellis Grove, IL |
| East-West University | Raymond E. Davis | Chicago, IL |
| Elmhurst College | Marie A. Partyka | Wood Dale, IL |
| Eureka College | Grace Alisha Kageha Mahasi | Peoria, IL |
| Governors State University | Samantha Allen | Park Forest, IL |
| Greenville College | Claire Marie Sattler | Barlett, IL |
| Illinois College | Daniel James Bacon | Lincoln, IL |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Maya A. Al-Khouja | Chicago, IL |
| Illinois State University | Lauren Ann Koszyk | Bloomington, IL |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | Paige Elizabeth Buschman | Lemont, IL |
| Judson University | Nicholas R Sebastian Modlin | Wheeling, IL |
| Knox College | Joshua William Tvrdy | Tucson, AZ |
| Lake Forest College | Medora Kea Sweet | St. Paul, MN |
| Lewis University | Alexandria M. Austring | Aroma, IL |
| Lincoln College | Kristin N. Werry | West Peoria, IL |
| Loyola University Chicago | Sojourney Rallo | Northbrook, IL |
| MacMurray College | Jasmine Renae White | Jacksonville, IL |
| McKendree University | Acadia Reynolds | New Orleans, LA |
| Millikin University | Philip Ganley | Decatur, IL |
| Monmouth College | Emma C. Vanderpool | Frankfort, IL |
| National Louis University | Nancy Zhu | Elk Grove, IL |
| North Central College | Luis Antonio Tello | Ramona, CA |
| North Park University | Anais Bakayoko | Chicago, IL |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Alicia Ozier | Chicago, IL |
| Northern Illinois University | Rebecca Ann Rasmussen | Franklin Park, IL |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Kaleb R. Miller | Canton, IL |
| Principia College | Annika Bryn Erickson | Petaluma, CA |
| Quincy University | Nicholas James Nosbisch | Effingham, IL |
| Robert Morris University | Tameka Latasha Mason | Peoria, IL |
| Rockford University | Ivy Hood | Roscoe, IL |
| Roosevelt University | Alice Beals | Somerset, NJ |
| St. Xavier University | Meghan Hill | North Aurora, IL |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Al-Qawi Nanavati | Mumbai |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale Steven Eugene Dew | Downs, IL | |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chloe Anna Huelsmann | Alton, IL | |
| The University of Chicago | Rachel Hile-Broad | Normal, IL |
| Trinity Christian College | Courtney Brynn Kalous | Menomonee Falls, WI |
| Trinity International University | Emylee Lee Thompson | South Elgin, IL |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Rafid Rahman | Chatham, IL |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Kendra Baber | Normal, IL |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Shivaliben Bhargavkumar Patel | Urbana, IL |
| University of St. Francis | Jeremy J. Grachan | Crest Hill, IL |
| VanderCook College of Music | Alexandro Gonzalez | Bolingbrook, IL |
| Western Illinois University | William J. Gradle | St. Charles, IL |
| Wheaton College | Christopher J. Lee | Indianapolis, IN |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Brandon D. Lewis | Springfield, IL |
Source: http://illinois.gov
