HCF raises funds for scholarships, initiative programming, and for private and public HBCUs and MSis. HCF is a strong advocate for students and higher education.
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Governor Bruce Rauner announced on Wednesday, November 10 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.
Darren Martin, 37, senior at Chicago State University.
Darren Martin, 37, senior at Chicago State University is among the 57 students who will be honored. Martin, who is also president of the student government association is a 2015 inductee into the HBCU Campaign Fund’s HBCU Royalty Dictionary.
“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 from the community colleges in Illinois. At the Student Laureate Convention, 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 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.
Join HCF in congratulating Mr. Martin of this prestigious and outstanding achievement. You can read more about him and his feature in the 2015 HBCU Royalty Dictionary.
STUDENT LAUREATES
School
Student
Home Town
Augustana College
Christopher S. Saladin
Carthage, MO
Aurora University
Laura E. Dierking
Aurora, IL
Benedictine University
Brandon Nguyen
Oswego, IL
Blackburn College
Veronica Milligan
Taylorville, IL
Bradley University
Charles J. Barchett
Benton Harbor, MI
Chicago State University
Darren David Martin
Chicago, IL
Columbia College – Chicago
Rasul Freelain
Chicago, IL
Concordia University Chicago
Connor Lee Wondrasch
Rochester, MN
DePaul University
Jessica Villagomez
Willowbrook, IL
Dominican University
Raunel Urquiza
Chicago, IL
Eastern Illinois University
Michaela Lee Crabtree
Ellis Grove, IL
East-West University
Raymond E. Davis
Chicago, IL
Elmhurst College
Marie A. Partyka
Wood Dale, IL
Eureka College
Grace Alisha Kageha Mahasi
Peoria, IL
Governors State University
Samantha Allen
Park Forest, IL
Greenville College
Claire Marie Sattler
Barlett, IL
Illinois College
Daniel James Bacon
Lincoln, IL
Illinois Institute of Technology
Maya A. Al-Khouja
Chicago, IL
Illinois State University
Lauren Ann Koszyk
Bloomington, IL
Illinois Wesleyan University
Paige Elizabeth Buschman
Lemont, IL
Judson University
Nicholas R Sebastian Modlin
Wheeling, IL
Knox College
Joshua William Tvrdy
Tucson, AZ
Lake Forest College
Medora Kea Sweet
St. Paul, MN
Lewis University
Alexandria M. Austring
Aroma, IL
Lincoln College
Kristin N. Werry
West Peoria, IL
Loyola University Chicago
Sojourney Rallo
Northbrook, IL
MacMurray College
Jasmine Renae White
Jacksonville, IL
McKendree University
Acadia Reynolds
New Orleans, LA
Millikin University
Philip Ganley
Decatur, IL
Monmouth College
Emma C. Vanderpool
Frankfort, IL
National Louis University
Nancy Zhu
Elk Grove, IL
North Central College
Luis Antonio Tello
Ramona, CA
North Park University
Anais Bakayoko
Chicago, IL
Northeastern Illinois University
Alicia Ozier
Chicago, IL
Northern Illinois University
Rebecca Ann Rasmussen
Franklin Park, IL
Olivet Nazarene University
Kaleb R. Miller
Canton, IL
Principia College
Annika Bryn Erickson
Petaluma, CA
Quincy University
Nicholas James Nosbisch
Effingham, IL
Robert Morris University
Tameka Latasha Mason
Peoria, IL
Rockford University
Ivy Hood
Roscoe, IL
Roosevelt University
Alice Beals
Somerset, NJ
St. Xavier University
Meghan Hill
North Aurora, IL
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Al-Qawi Nanavati
Mumbai
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Steven Eugene Dew
Downs, IL
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Chloe Anna Huelsmann
Alton, IL
The University of Chicago
Rachel Hile-Broad
Normal, IL
Trinity Christian College
Courtney Brynn Kalous
Menomonee Falls, WI
Trinity International University
Emylee Lee Thompson
South Elgin, IL
University of Illinois Chicago
Rafid Rahman
Chatham, IL
University of Illinois Springfield
Kendra Baber
Normal, IL
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Shivaliben Bhargavkumar Patel
Urbana, IL
University of St. Francis
Jeremy J. Grachan
Crest Hill, IL
VanderCook College of Music
Alexandro Gonzalez
Bolingbrook, IL
Western Illinois University
William J. Gradle
St. Charles, IL
Wheaton College
Christopher J. Lee
Indianapolis, IN
Lincoln Land Community College
Brandon D. Lewis
Springfield, IL
Chicago State University will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2017. Chicago State University opened doors as a teachers training schools in a leaky railroad freight car in Blue Island, Illinois on September 2, 1867. Today, in contrast, the university is a fully accredited public, urban institution located on 161-picturesque acres in a residential community on the Southside of Chicago. During the founding, CSU enrolled 62 students. The current enrollment is nearly 7,000.
The path from then until now has marked by change. During more than 140 years, CSU has changed its name, focus, governance and location. But with each transition, the university has kept sight of its educational mission and enhanced its services to Chicago and its surrounding communities. From its humble origins, Chicago State University has evolved into an outstanding, nationally acclaimed university that provides a value-added education for all who enter its hallowed halls. Consistently evolving to reflect state-of-the-art tends in higher education, Chicago State University prepares students for success in the twenty-first century.
For more information about Chicago State University, visit their website at www.csu.edu.
