Illinois International News
Illinois International News is a collection of globally-focused blogs and stories from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Two Illinois students compete for 2026 U21 RISE Award

    Jun 23, 2026 2:15 pm by Analicia HaynesU21
    Three people sit around a table indoors, facing one another in conversation. One person on the left is turned in profile, while two people on the right are facing toward the left, all leaning slightly toward the center. An open book and a notebook are on the table, along with a cup. The image has a warm orange color overlay. In the top right corner, white text reads “U21 UNIVERSITAS 21.” In the bottom left corner, a circular icon with an upward arrow appears next to the word “RISE.”

    Images

    • Three people sit around a table indoors, facing one another in conversation. One person on the left is turned in profile, while two people on the right are facing toward the left, all leaning slightly toward the center. An open book and a notebook are on the table, along with a cup. The image has a warm orange color overlay. In the top right corner, white text reads “U21 UNIVERSITAS 21.” In the bottom left corner, a circular icon with an upward arrow appears next to the word “RISE.”

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students are finalists in the 2026 Universitas 21 RISE People’s Choice Award for Innovation. 

    RISE, which stands for Real Impact on Society and Environment, is an international competition and showcase run by U21. It is designed to help university students take their sustainability and social innovation projects beyond theory or local implementation and scale them into global initiatives. 

    Asiya Falak, a medical student in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and David Arellano, a graduate student in the Grainger College of Engineering, each submitted their own unique research projects for this competition. However, there is one thing their projects have in common—both aim to help local communities through sustainable and environmentally focused efforts.

    Arellano’s project is titled "Kadakaaman - Iniciativa Solar para el Agua y la Comunidad," and it explores developing community-owned solar infrastructure to produce fresh water and green hydrogen for an isolated coastal municipality in Baja California Sur, Mexico. 

    Falak’s project is a pilot program titled, "Walk With Your Community: A Community-Based Health Intervention," and aims to promote health literacy, physical activity, and social connection through community-driven park walks and presentations by medical students.

    Arellano and Falak created presentations explaining their projects. 

    Arellano’s presentation can be found at https://vimeo.com/1195664864?fl=pl&fe=sh. 

    Falak’s presentation can be found at https://vimeo.com/1195662640?fl=pl&fe=sh. 

    To learn more about voting and supporting these two Illinois student leaders please visit https://universitas21.com/opportunities/competitions/rise-showcase-2025-26/. Anyone can vote for what they believe is the most innovative RISE project. 

    Voting ends July 9, and winners will be announced during the week of July 20. 

    Illinois joined U21 in October 2024, becoming the fifth North American institution and the first from the Midwest to join this global research network. U21 provides Illinois students, faculty, and staff with enhanced collaborative research, study abroad, and global learning opportunities.