Six students were honored with the Chancellor’s Award recently at UW-River Falls. Left to right: Lamah Bility, Temitope Abiodun, Chancellor Dean Van Galen, Soobin Lee, Caleb Rossin, Michelle Stage, and Alison Slaughter.

Six students honored with Chancellor’s Award

April 30, 2019 – The university’s highest non-academic honor was bestowed upon six University of Wisconsin-River Falls students during the annual Chancellor’s Award for Students ceremony April 25 in the University Center.

First presented in 1980, the Chancellor’s Award for Students recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to leadership, excellence and service, both on campus and in the community.

“At this point in your life, it is impossible for you to know the journey that lies ahead of you,” said Chancellor Dean Van Galen during the ceremony. “I am certain that you will distinguish yourselves, and thereby the university, in unique and important ways as a result of your diligence and commitment to leadership and service.”

The 2019 recipients are:

Senior Temitope (Temi) Abiodun, of Champlin, Minn., will graduate May 11 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology. Abiodun serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Student Government Mental Health Awareness Committee. She served as a resident assistant in Hathorn Hall where she organized multi-day, campus-wide and community-oriented events that focused on impactful topics and social issues. She was also a member of the McNair Program where she completed and presented her own research to achieve her goal of being admitted to a Ph.D. program.

Junior Lamah Bility, of St. Paul, is majoring in marketing and communications. He is the president of the campus Black Student Union and serves as the external relations director for the Student Government Association, focusing on understanding and sharing the concerns and priorities of the UWRF student body with important external audiences including members of the city council, state legislators and lawmakers on a national level. Bility is the founder of the Bridge Mentorship Program in St. Paul and is an associate board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities.

Junior Soobin Lee, of Dongducheon, South Korea, is studying marketing communications with a focus on graphic design. She works as an orientation and transition leader for international students arriving to campus as well as president of the Global Programming Society, an international student organization involving UWRF students from across the globe. Lee also served as vice president and president of the Korean Students Association. She is a member of the Dancing with Diversity organization, a member of the DECA business student organization and a member of an intramural soccer team.

Junior Caleb Rossin, of Winona, Minn., is an active undergraduate researcher studying biology and chemistry. His research focusing on bacteriophages has been presented at regional and national conferences. Going beyond the university’s strategic goal of global engagement, Rossin’s contributions help UWRF achieve universal engagement. His phages will be traveling on the next SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. Rossin participates in the Honors Program and is a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He is an event coordinator for the Collegiate Hall Council and is public relations chair for the Chancellor’s Student Ambassadors.

Senior Alison (Ali) Slaughter, of Urbana, Ill, will graduate May 11 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in geography. She serves as president of the Chancellor’s Student Ambassadors and is a member of the Honors Program. She participated in the Study Abroad Program during her junior year living with a family in Nairobi, Kenya. While there, she took part in an internship with a refugee aid organization where she developed coursework for adolescent to young adult refugee women and children.

Senior Michelle Stage, of Burnsville, Minn., will graduate May 11 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (mental health emphasis) and a minor in philosophy. Stage was recently named the 2019 Distinguished Psychology Graduate. She also received the Lydecker Research Award in recognition of her research and her leadership in the Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity program (URSCA). She has been president of the Society for URSCA, as well as president of the Psi Chi Honor Society. She has conducted impactful research on human sexuality, presenting her results at national and international conferences. During her senior year, Stage took part in a five-week international course spanning various European cities. She will pursue a master’s degree in health promotion at the University of Kentucky.

For more information about the Chancellor’s Award for Students, email beth.schommer@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-0662.