The 28th Annual Student Leadership Awards ceremony was held on Friday, April 15, 2022. Surveying Engineering alumnus Jacob Heck was the keynote speaker. The Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial is proud of its many nominees and would like to congratulate them as well as the pair of awardees – Jemel Thompson – Dean of Students Award for Possibilities and alumnus Jacob Heck (’10 Surveying Engineering) for the Outstanding Young Alumni Award (to be formally announced at the 2022 Alumni Reunion).
Dean of Students Award for Possibilities
The Dean of Students Award for Possibilities recognizes a student that embodies our possibilities value statement: “We inspire the exploration and creation of all possibilities through innovative use of our skills and knowledge.”
Jemel Thompson
When Jemel Thompson arrived on campus, he struggled to see himself in anything at Tech, so he decided to forge the community he sought on his own. This was the inspiration to revive the Society of African American Men (SAAM) with the help of his fellow brothers. Jemel went on to become the first Minister of Direction (President) of the organization since its reinstatement providing resources and support for men of color on campus.
As one of his nominators shared, “Throughout his career at Michigan Tech, Jemel has continued to try new things, take chances, and engage meaningfully with everyone he meets. He has engaged with a wide variety of Tech experiences from working in curriculum development with Residence Education, re-establishing the Society of African American Men on campus, attending and on-site coordinating for the LeaderShape Institute, volunteering with the Tech Traditions committee, serving as a Husky Connect Mentor with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and a variety of other involvements in between. In each of these experiences, Jemel unabashedly asks everyone ‘why’ and ‘how can we improve.’ To him nothing is stagnant and it has pushed me and our Michigan Tech community forward.”
CEGE Award Nominees
- Rising Star of the Year – Arika Booms
- Student Employee of the Year – Chiarra Elkort-Wickboldt
- Student Organization Advisor of the Year – Lynn Artman
- Exceptional Enthusiasm as a Student Leader – Maddie Reitz
- Outstanding Future Alumni Award – Stanton Schmitz
- Percy Julian Award – Jemel Thompson
- Provost’s Award for Scholarship – Thomas Pastell
- President’s Award for Leadership – Jemel Thompson