Celebrating Student Leadership at UIC Business Excellence Awards
UIC Business recognized outstanding students and organizations for their leadership, engagement, and academic achievement.
3rd Annual UIC Business Excellence Awards 1
UIC Business celebrated student leadership and achievement at the 3rd Annual UIC Business Excellence Awards, held April 22 at Student Center East. The event brought together students, faculty, and staff to recognize the impact and contributions of the college community.
Honorees were recognized across multiple categories, including Student Leaders of the Month, Business Badge recipients, and graduating seniors earning academic medallions — showcasing the depth of student leadership and engagement across the college.
Recognizing Student Leadership
As part of the ceremony, UIC Business recognized the Student Leader of the Month recipients for their ongoing leadership and contributions throughout the academic year.
Student Leaders of the Month
Student Leader of the Month
| September 2025 | Nimra Patoli |
| October 2025 | Phuong Nguyen |
| November 2025 | Pratham Patel |
| December 2025 | Christian Bivens |
| January 2026 | Eliezer Zagorin |
| February 2026 | Indra Ram-Greenberg |
| March 2026 | Maria Lillig |
| April 2026 | Iscleiry Pujols |
| May 2026 | Han Nguyen |
Business Badges: Advancing Career Readiness
Business Badges: Advancing Career Readiness
Students who completed the UIC Business Badges program were also recognized for reaching key milestones in their leadership development.
Introduced this year by the Student Involvement Team in collaboration with the Business Career Center, Business Badges are digital credentials that recognize students for developing professional skills aligned with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) core competencies for career readiness.
Students can earn a total of seven Business Badges, with two levels of recognition available upon completion. Those who earn four badges qualify for the Business Student Leader Graduation Cord, while students who complete all seven badges receive both the Business Student Leader Certificate and Graduation Cord.
This year, 75 undergraduate and 12 graduate students participated in the program. Twenty-four students earned four badges to qualify for the Business Student Leader Graduation Cord, while nine students earned all seven badges to receive both the Business Student Leader Certificate and Graduation Cord.
Business Student Leader Graduation Cord (4 Badges)
Business Student Leader Graduation Cord (4 Badges)
| Elijah Aquino | Levi Atang | Layla Brown | Evelyn Castrejon |
| Mallika Ramesh Chourasia | Arly Delgado | Olamiji Fabamigbe | Eve Katherin Garcia |
| Tania Garcia | Sounia Kaltimi | Parth Kanani | Yueyang Lin |
| Louis McCarter | Han Nguyen | Khoi Nguyen | Priscilla Obikili |
| Meily Ortiz | Yamyle Padilla | Shreya Poojary | Ena Ramovic |
| Tara Vijay | Madison Walker | Trenise Wilkes | Makayla Young |
Business Student Leader Certificate and Graduation Cord Recipients (7 Badges)
Business Student Leader Certificate and Graduation Cord (7 Badges)
Business Student Leader Certificate and Graduation Cord (All 7 Badges Earned
| Lani Chang | Kenneth Frieh | Delfina Grozdanoska |
| Dishant Patel | Riya Patel | Anna Pirvu |
| Debangana Sanyal | Wanlin Shen | Candice Tien |
Medallion Recipients
Medallion Recipients
Graduating seniors from the UIC Business Scholars program and the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society were also honored during the ceremony with special medallions recognizing their outstanding academic achievement.
UIC Business Scholars: Graduating Seniors
Business Scholar Graduating Seniors Medallion Recipients
| Karl Abou Chedid | Hala Alkhatib | Quinn Basta | Layla Brown |
| Grace Bujdei | Natalia Camacho | Leslye Carrasco | Daniel Contreras |
| Ali El-Hindi | Olamiji Fabamigbe | Josuemanuel Franco | Jennifer Garcia |
| Aditri Garg | Eriberto Gonzaga | Adrian Govea | Amena Hussain |
| Sreeya Kanamarlapudi | Muhammad Kapadia | Ocean Kim | Juan Lillig |
| Rocio Lobato | Jacqueline Loeza | Yasmeen Magallon | Neha Makwana |
| Alexis Mata | Brianna Mendez | Nicol Morales Gutierrez | Priscilla Obikili |
| Rebecca Ortega | Arviel Robles | Lylli Rodriguez | Jeslyn Sachdeva |
| Melisa Sanchez | Eliezer Zagorin |
Beta Gamma Sigma Graduating Seniors Recipients
Beta Gamma Sigma: Graduating Seniors
Beta Gamma Sigma Graduating Students Medallion Recipients:
| Mariam Adegbite | Estrella Almendras | Natalie Archacki | Jala Brown |
| Sixuan Chen | Ali El-Hindi | Salome Eliashvili | Olamiji Fabamigbe |
| Eve Garcia | Paul Grove | Tania Herbert | Nicole Jablonska |
| Natalia Jesion | Nayeong Kang | Neha Makwana | Nicol Morales Gutierrez |
| Randall Morgan | Tyler Mrozik | Alyssa Nelson | Nguyen Tuong Van Ngo |
| Priscilla Obikili | Rebecca Ortega | Viraj Patel | Soham Patel |
| Shreya Poojary | Katy Reed | Debangana Sanyal | Khin Thu |
| Jo Wagner | Rowan White |
Top Honors
Top Honors
The following top honors were also presented during the ceremony:
- Emerging Student Leader of the Year: Ezra Gussin
- Undergraduate Student Leader of the Year: Pratham Patel
- Graduate Student Leader of the Year: Natalia Jesion
- Student Org Advisor of the Year: Jacinta Banks
- New Student Organization of the Year: Women in Finance
- Student Organization of the Year: Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA)
Together, this year’s honorees represent the very best of UIC Business — students who lead with intention, support their peers, and contribute to something larger than themselves. Their achievements reflect not only individual success, but also a shared commitment to building a strong, vibrant community. Congratulations to this year’s honorees as they continue to lead and make an impact within UIC Business and beyond.