Leadership Awards
The annual Asian American Leadership Awards recognize and reward excellence among those who have dedicated countless hours to campus-wide activities. Recipients of this award exemplify a high level of leadership and dedication to the Asian American community in developing and implementing activities, programs, and services that promote unity among Asian Americans and awareness of Asian American issues.
Award Categories
Nominations are sought every Spring for the following award categories.
- Outstanding Asian American Faculty/Staff Award
- Outstanding Asian American Graduate Student Leader Award
- Outstanding Asian American Student Leader Award
- Susan Yung Maul Award for Outstanding Asian American Program/Event
- Yuki Llewellyn Award for Outstanding Asian American Student Organization
- Outstanding Asian American Alumni Award
Outstanding Asian American Graduate Student Leader Award (New Award)
This award recognizes graduate and professional students for excellence in developing and implementing programs for the Asian American campus community, excellence and innovation in classroom instruction that furthers knowledge of Asian American communities, and/or excellence in research that promotes awareness of Asian American issues.
Outstanding Asian American Student Leader Award
This award recognizes exceptional undergraduate student leaders who have served the Asian American campus community as advocates for promoting understanding of Asian American issues and in leadership of activities that promote unity among Asian American students.
Outstanding Asian American Faculty/Staff Award
This award recognizes faculty, academic professionals, and civil service staff that have shown years of commitment to the Asian American campus community in providing mentoring, advising, programming, counseling, teaching and research opportunities that develop students’ self-awareness and that promote understanding of Asian American issues.
Susan Yung Maul Award for Outstanding Asian American Program or Event
This award recognizes excellence among programs or events that have shown a significant impact in serving the Asian American community, developing awareness of Asian American issues, and promoting unity in the Asian American campus community. This award was renamed in 2003 to honor Susan Yung Maul, upon her retirement as Director of the Illini Union, to recognize her 31 years of contributions to the Asian American community and the university.
Yuki Llewellyn Award for Outstanding Asian American Student Organization
This award recognizes excellence among student organizations that have developed and implemented activities, programs, and services that promote greater cultural, social, or political awareness of Asian American issues. This award was renamed in 2002 to honor Yuki Llewellyn, upon her retirement as Director of Registered Organizations and Assistant Dean of Students, to recognize her 37 years of contributions to the Asian American community and the university.
Outstanding Asian American Alumni Award
This award was established in 2005 to recognize alumni of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to the Asian American community, and/or exceptional success in their professional careers, and/or meritorious service supporting the mission of the University.
Asian American Leadership Awards 2008
Asian American Cultural Center's Community-Builder
- Cathy Acevedo
- Mary Ellerbe
- Curt McKay
Outstanding Asian American Faculty/Staff
- Sumie Okazaki
Outstanding Asian American Alumni
- Betty Lee Sung
Outstanding Asian American Graduate Student Leader
- Kevin Lam
- Anne Saw
- Stanley Thangaraj
Outstanding Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader
- Harrison Hsueh
- Trixie Layhadi
- Alison Saulog
Susan Yung Maul Award for Outstanding Asian American Program or Event
- Filipino Americans Coming Together Conference (F.A.C.T): Philippine Student Association
- Gandhi Week: Indian Student Association
- "I am Asian American" Week: Asian Pacific American Coalition
- India Night: Indian Student Association
Yuki Llewellyn Award for Outstanding Asian American Student Organization
- Asian American Association
- Indian Student Association
- Philippine Student Association
Past Recipients of the Asian American Leadership Awards
2007 Awards
- Outstanding Asian American Community-Builder Award: Jamie Singson, Tina Wei
- Faculty/Staff: Kent Ono
- Graduate Student: Jennifer Chung, Sarah Park
- Undergraduate Students: Anil D'Souza, Christine Gonzales, Carrie Kagawa, Jennifer Lo, Rubie Ruivivar, Tina Wei
- Alumni: K.W. Lee
- Organization: Asian American Association, Philippine Student Association
- Programs:
- Asian American Association Asian American Ambassador Program
- Asian Pacific American Coalition and the Together Encouraging the Appreciation of Multiculturalism Multicultural Conference
- Indian Student Association Garba Raas Bhangra I & II
- Midwest Asian American Students Union Spring Conference
- Philippine Student Association Filipino American Coming Together (FACT) Conference
2006 Awards
- Outstanding Asian American Community-Builder Award (New Award): William Riley, Jonathan Chu
- Faculty/Staff: Kuanwu Lin
- Students: Linda Luk, Erin Chiou, Patrice Yao
- Alumni: Ang Lee, Jane Lin
- Organization: Philippine Student Association
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Unseen Unheard Conference
- Asian Pacific American Graduate Students Organization Graduate Student Conference
- Philippine Student Association Filipino American Coming Together (FACT) Conference
2005 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Sharon Lee
- Students: Calvin Chen, Matthew Lee, Jonathan Wang
- Alumni: Iris Chang
- Organization: Asian American Association, Taiwanese American Students Club
- Programs:
- Alpha Iota Omicron Disco Dandia
- Indian Student Association Gandhi Week
- Philippine Student Association Filipino Americans Coming Together (FACT) Conference
- Taiwanese American Students Club Speaker Series
2004 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Nancy Cantor
- Students: Jonathan Chu, Kathleen Dumlao, Antoinette Fadera, Narissa Nonzee, Sherwin Yen
- Organization: Asian Pacific American Coalition
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Adapt
- Asian American Artists Collective Identity: Films on the Identity Development of People of Color
- Counseling Center Reflections of Beauty
- Asian American Association Taste of Asia
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Unseen Unheard Conference
2003 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: David Chih
- Students: Pauline Chow, Frances Gestoso, Peggy Ho, Sandra Kim, Jennie Ly, Annie Yoo
- Organization: Asian American Association, Asian Pacific American Coalition
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Community Responses to Attacks on Asian Women
- Philippine Student Association Filipino Americans Coming Together Conference
- Philippine Student Association Filipino Sampler: A Taste Everything Filipino
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Unseen/Unheard Conference
- Special Recognition: Susan Yung Maul
2002 Awards
- Students: Yeerik Moy, Jason Naito, Jeffrey Sichaleune, Jocelyn Yin
- Organization: Asian American Association
- Programs:
- Taiwanese American Students Club Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Student Association Midwest Conference
- Lambda Phi Epsilon Asian American Donor Program - Bone Marrow Drive
- Midwest Asian American Students Union Spring Conference
- Vietnamese Student Association Family Day
- Special Recognition: Yuki Llewellyn
2001 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Clarence Shelley
- Students: Valerie Garcia, Melissa Inpanbutr, Asako Kinase-Leggett, Anne Tanaka
- Organization: Asian American Association
- Programs:
- Asian American Studies Asian American Experiences Library Display
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Homecoming Float
- Thai American Insight Samakee-Conference of Thai America
2000 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: George Yu
- Students: Faisal Hadi, Paula Kim, Leah Tuazon
- Organization: Asian Pacific American Coalition, Philippine Student Association
- Programs: Asian American Artists' Collective Unity Slam
1999 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Pallassana Balgopal
- Students: Mark Chu, Lena Choe, Debjani Mukherjee
- Organization: Asian Pacific American Coalition
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition We Be Jammin'
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Unseen/Unheard Conference
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Iris Chang/Rape of Nanking Program
1998 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Clark Cunningham
- Students: James Bui, Mathu Goel, Lilly Liu, Tarun Malhotra
- Organization: Taiwanese American Student Club
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Language Program
- Asian Business Society Conference
- Indian Student Association India Night
- Taiwanese American Students Club Intercollegiate Taiwanese
- American Student Association Midwest Conference
1997 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Susan Maul
- Students: Vida Gosrisirikul, Eddie Kao, Aarti Kotak, Gordon Liao
- Organization: Philippine Student Association
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Unseen/Unheard Conference
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Asiantation
- Korean American Student Association & Asian American Association Pride that Binds Conference
- Lunar New Year Celebration
1996 Awards
- Faculty/Staff: Yuki Llewellyn
- Students: Jeremy Bautista, Gustav Goger, Oliver Tan Ong, Joline Robertson, Rebecca Yee
- Programs:
- Asian Pacific American Student Leadership Fall Retreat
- Asian Pacific American Coalition Asiantation
- Asian Pacific American Student Leadership Spring Retreat
- Asian American Association 10th Anniversary and Reunion
- Denise Uyehara Performance of Hello Sex Kitty
- Educator/activist Daren Mooko
- Writer/poet David Mura
- Poet Lawson Inada
- Illini Union Board Asian Variety Show
- Asian American Film Series
- Midwest Asian American Students Conference
- Asian American Artists' Collective Monsoon Journal of Asian American Art and Writing
- Darpan Literary Magazine
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