Luther College awards inaugural Student Leadership Awards

The Launching Luther Leaders program announced the recipients of Luther College's first Student Leadership Awards to individuals and groups for their contribution to the college's mission of service.

Award recipients include: I-Impact Now for Outstanding Student Organization, the Black Student Union Talent Show for Outstanding Event or Activity, and Alpha Beta Psi hosts Relay for Life for Outstanding Service Project.  

I-Impact Now, led by Luther students Kiflu Tesfaye, Abhra Biswas, Kristin Westby and William Montoya, is a non-profit organization created as a humanitarian initiative to raise funds for irrigation-based farming cooperatives in Ethiopia.  

The group has raised $8,000 through grants, meal donations, selling used student post office boxes, music festivals and other on-campus efforts.  They have presented their project at the Noble Peace Prize Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference in San Diego and received an award from the Hawkinson Foundation in Minneapolis.  
The Black Student Union Talent Show, organized by Nicole Woodsen and Sharie Green, raised more than $1,100 and donated it to recently deceased Luther student Nabby Baffour-Awuah's family.  Auditions were held prior to the event to bring in the best vocalists, bands, instrumentalists, poets, dancers and many more talent acts.
 
The Alpha Beta Psi Relay for Life event, organized by Mallory Heinzeroth and Kayla Kirchner, was held in April to enhance cancer awareness and provide an opportunity to remember and support those who fought or are currently fighting cancer.  The six-hour relay had 156 participants and raised $5,283 for the American Cancer Society.
 
Award winners were selected by members of the Launching Luther Leaders Selection Committee, including Luther students Nolan Winslow and Therese Thompson, Brad Chamberlain, associate professor of chemistry, Wintlett Taylor-Browne, director of student services in the Diversity Center, Trish Neubauer, coordinator of student activities, Jon Lund, associate dean of student life, and Jane Hildebrand, assistant dean for student life.  

Plaques will be hung in the Dahl Centennial Union on the Luther campus to honor the award recipients.