The Otis A. Singletary Outstanding Senior Award was established in 1978 as the first award recognizing overall student leadership at UK. The award is named after former University of Kentucky President Otis A. Singletary.

Students nominated for this award have displayed outstanding leadership while attending the University of Kentucky, made significant contributions to academics and are dedicated to service through campus and community involvement.

Auburn Mattingly is a civil engineering major in the College of Engineering from Hustonville, Kentucky. She is currently outreach chair for the Society of Women Engineers’ UK chapter. She has also served as an Engineering Ambassador. Mattingly is a member of the Lewis Honors College Scholars in Engineering and Management pathway, the Scholars in Engineering Leadership Program and has served as an Engineering Living Learning Program peer mentor for the past three years. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and served as vice president in Spring 2019 and Fall 2019.

Ngoc Phan is a computer science major in the College of Engineering from Da Nang, Vietnam. She is a student leader in #IAmAWomanInSTEM, vice president of the Association of Computing Machinery for Women, and an international student leadership team member for the UK International Student Center. Phan was named a College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Scholar and served as a UK International Student Ambassador representing the university in her home country of Vietnam.

Courtney Wheeler is a management major in the Gatton College of Business and Economics from Louisville, Kentucky, currently serving as SGA president. She was named a Gatton College 2021 Outstanding Senior and was nominated for the Dean's Award for Excellence. She has also worked as an intern at the Kentucky State Capitol. Upon graduation, she will work as a district manager for ALDI. 

Lily Hurt is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in gender and women's studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a current programming intern for UK’s Martin Luther King Center and has been involved in the UK Counseling Center mental health peer advocate program since spring 2019. Hurt has also spearheaded the creation of the ACE Greek interest group that strives to add another representative space to UK’s fraternity and sorority life. 

The Office of Student Organizations and Activities began the campus tradition of awarding and honoring individual students and student organizations by creating the Lead Blue Awards to recognize the successes and accomplishments of student organizations, advisors and student leaders. 

To watch the virtual 2021 ceremony, visit https://fb.watch/5c6JKt-bU2/. 

Individual Awards:

Emerging Leader: Jillian Chamberlain and Alyssa Hargis

Leadership Legacy: Bilal Shaikh, Student Government Association, and Melissa Molho, Graduate Student Congress 

Member of the Year: Jillian Chamberlain, Alpha Phi Omega; Parul Suri, Graduate Student Congress

Officer of the Year: Karolyn Holloway, Beta Alpha Psi

Advisor of the Year: Maddy Trudeau, Student Activities Board

Diversity & Inclusion: Kia Markussen, Graduate/Professional Student Organization (GPSO)

 Group Awards:

Civic Engagement (NSB): Student Public Health Association

Civic Engagement (SB): The Campus Kitchen

Program of the Year (over 50): Farm to Fork – The Campus Kitchen

Program of the Year (under 50): National Society of Black Engineers Diversity in Engineering Conference

Student Organization of the Year: The Campus Kitchen

New Student Organization of the Year: Fashion Crew

Collaboration: Student Activities Board and MLK Center, Dr. Bernice King virtual event

Diversity & Inclusion: Materials and Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (MACE), Traditions, Trivia and Treats

VanMeter: Adrianna Navia, political science and international studies

 

Student Government Association (SGA) Scholarships:

Academic Excellence (undergraduate): Brent Bartley

Academic Excellence (graduate): Rachel Davis

Constitutional Scholarship: Meghana Sharma

Lyman T. Johnson Odyssey Award: Breona Link

Outstanding Wildcat: Kiley Alcorn, Hannah Cleary, Rasheed Flowers, Katie Gaines, Bailey Littrell, Xuhui Liu and Alexandra Nolletti.

 Shane Carline & Annie Sit Inclusion:

Winner 1: Campus Kitchens

Winner 2: Latino Student Union

 

The Robert and Freda Carlin Unsung Hero Award:

Staff Winner: Lynn Fresca, Office of Student Organizations and Activities

Student Winner: Amy Keith, involvement advisor in the Office of Student Organizations and Activities 

 

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.