UIC Business Honors Student Leaders at Women in Business Conference
Tereza Progri and Mia Kalcina are recognized as inaugural award recipients for their academic excellence, leadership, and impact across the UIC Business community.
UIC Business Honors Student Leaders at Women in Business Conference
At this year’s Women in Business Conference, UIC Business introduced two new awards to recognize outstanding student leaders.
The awards honor excellence in academics, leadership, and impact within the college community.
The inaugural honorees—Tereza Progri, Business Woman of the Year, and Mia Kalcina, Emerging Business Woman of the Year—represent the strength, initiative, and commitment to service that define UIC Business students.
Business Woman of the Year: Tereza Progri
Tereza Progri, a senior pursuing dual degrees in finance and psychology, has distinguished herself through exceptional academic achievement, impactful leadership, and meaningful advocacy across campus.
Progri has maintained a 4.0 GPA while completing a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum.
She has also gained professional experience through internships in finance and business strategy and is a 2025 CME Group Foundation Scholar. Following graduation, she will join Aon as a strategy consulting specialist and begin her MS in Finance.
Her leadership has had a measurable impact across campus. As mental health commissioner for the Undergraduate Student Government, she successfully passed 13 resolutions in a single semester, expanding access to counseling resources and contributing to the addition of new counselors at UIC.
Within the College of Business Administration, Progri serves as vice chair of the Business Student Advisory Board, working closely with faculty and administrators to enhance student engagement and academic programming. She is also a teaching assistant for Financial Modeling, Analysis and Decision Making, and a senior peer mentor in the Ventures in Business Living-Learning Community.
A first-generation Albanian-American college student, Progri has consistently focused her leadership on helping others navigate opportunities and succeed—creating lasting impact across the university community.
Emerging Business Woman of the Year: Mia Kalcina
Mia Kalcina, a double major in marketing and information decision sciences, has quickly established herself as an emerging leader within the UIC Business community. Maintaining a 4.0 GPA, she has balanced academic excellence with a high level of campus involvement.
Kalcina is the founder and president of Business Service Leaders, a student organization she created to connect business students with volunteer opportunities and community partnerships across Chicago. Under her leadership, the organization has grown into a dynamic network focused on service, professional development, and collaboration.
In addition, she has served on executive boards for multiple student organizations, including the Management Leadership Association and the American Marketing Association, where she currently serves as vice president of social and volunteer programming. Through her role with UIC Commuter and Off-Campus Life, she has advanced from program assistant to marketing manager, strengthening engagement with commuter students.
Her initiative, energy, and commitment to creating opportunities for others make her a standout emerging business leader.
Celebrating Student Achievement
The accomplishments of Tereza Progri and Mia Kalcina reflect the impact that engaged, driven students can have across the UIC Business community. Through leadership, service, and academic excellence, they exemplify the values at the heart of UIC Business and set a strong example for their peers.