On March 28, Eastern Michigan University announced 2023’s Student Gold Medallion winners. The Gold Medallion Awards, launched in 1996, recognize and honor students making significant contributions to the University community.
There are six individual student award categories and three categories for active student organizations. Nominations are made via an anonymous form posted on EagleSync.
The Eagle Ambassador awards a student who has acted as a “goodwill emissary” in connection with other campuses and or communities for EMU. This year’s undergraduate student winner is Hamzah Dajani, a financing and accounting major from Amman, Jordan, and this year’s graduate student winner is Najd Al Jarba, an MBA student from Amman, Jordan.
“It’s always great to be recognized … especially an award where someone actually recognizes you and writes a nomination up for you. I hope I’m a good ambassador for this award, and I’m a good ambassador for Eastern," Dajani said about receiving the award.
Kifaya Nabilsi was recognized for Outstanding Leadership by a Student at this year’s awards. The award goes to a student who has “exhibited extraordinary commitment, vision and passion for leadership on behalf of the University.” Nabilsi is a junior Interdisciplinary Neuroscience major from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Graduate student, Nandika Telwar, was recognized as well for Outstanding Leadership by a Student; Telwar is a masters student from Temperance, Michigan studying Human Resources and Organizational Development.
The award for Outstanding Mentorship by a Student was given to undergraduate student Panida Khuansanguan and graduate student Camila Henriquez Mora. The award recognizes a student who has “fostered the spirit of mentoring, by aiding in the development of another student's leadership skills, social integration and scholarly achievement.”
Khuansanguan is a senior majoring in Biochemistry and is from Canton, Michigan. Henriquez Mora is from Lima, Peru in EMU’s Applied Economics program.
This year’s award recipients for Outstanding Volunteerism were undergraduate student Rylee Clairday and graduate student Maha Casey. Clairday is a junior majoring in psychology from Onsted, Michigan.
The award for Outstanding Professionalism went to undergraduate student Amy Coomer and graduate student Lindsay Schimler. Coomer is a senior majoring in history from Clarkston, Michigan and Schimler is from Wyandotte, Michigan in the College Counseling program.
The annual Glenna Frank Miller Collegiate Award for Leadership went to Kaitlyn Willis, an Early Childhood Education major from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
This year’s Outstanding Student Organization recipient was the Black Honors Student Organization.
The award for Outstanding Student Organization Program went to the Super Smash Bros Club Summer of Love Tournament.
The last award is given to an Outstanding Student Organization Advisor, and this year’s winner was Esther Gunel, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars and advisor to the International Student Association.
