Ceremony at Old State Capitol recognizes the top student from each college and university in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – 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.
STUDENT LAUREATES
School
Augustana College
Aurora University
Benedictine University
Blackburn College
Bradley University
Chicago State University
Columbia College – Chicago Rasul Freelain Chicago, IL
Concordia University Chicago Connor Lee Wondrasch Rochester, MN
DePaul University
Dominican University
Eastern Illinois University Michaela Lee Crabtree Ellis Grove, IL
East-West University
Elmhurst College
Eureka College
Governors State University
Greenville College
Illinois College
Illinois Institute of Technology Maya A. Al-Khouja
Illinois State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Judson University
Knox College
Lake Forest College
Lewis University
Lincoln College
Lincoln Land Community College Brandon D. Lewis
Loyola University Chicago
MacMurray College
McKendree University
Millikin University
Monmouth College
National Louis University
North Central College
North Park University
Northeastern Illinois University Alicia Ozier
Northern Illinois University
Olivet Nazarene University
Principia College
Quincy University
Robert Morris University
Rockford University
Roosevelt University
St. Xavier University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Al-Qawi Nanavati
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Steven Eugene Dew Downs, IL
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chloe Anna Huelsmann Alton, IL
The University of Chicago
Trinity Christian College
Trinity International University Emylee Lee Thompson South Elgin, IL
University of Illinois Chicago Rafid Rahman
University of Illinois Springfield Kendra Baber
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Shivaliben Bhargavkumar Patel Urbana, IL
University of St. Francis
VanderCook College of Music Alexandro Gonzalez
Western Illinois University
Wheaton College
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