CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 International Achievement Awards.
The International Achievement Awards recognize outstanding alumni, faculty, and students whose exceptional work, service, and/or scholarship has made a significant, global impact.
Prof. Joyce Yen Feng, Illinois alumna and professor emerita in the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University (NTU), is the recipient of this year’s Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement.
Dr. Paul E. McNamara, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, is the 2026 Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement.
Luis Jaimes-Illanes, a Gies College of Business alum, founder of Conecta Mentora, and a senior network engineer and technical leader at Altaeros, is the 2026 Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award recipient.
Ebubechukwu Uba, a graduate student at the School of Information Sciences, is the 2026 Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award recipient.
Mia Bonds, a student majoring in Agricultural and Consumer Economics: Policy, International Trade, and Development, is the Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award recipient.
The recipients will be honored at a private on-campus ceremony on April 28.
Additionally, the recipient of the Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement, Prof. Joyce Yen Feng, will give a lecture on April 28 inside the Illini Union. Registration for the lecture is requested.
Prof. Joyce Yen Feng | Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement
The Sheth alumni award is made possible by the generous support of longtime university benefactors Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth.
It was established in 2000 to recognize the accomplishments of distinguished international Illinois alumni who are highly accomplished in their profession, have made outstanding contributions to government, humanity, science, art, or human welfare, and exemplify the strength of their education at the university.
Feng’s work in the areas of child welfare, ethical governance, and national policy exemplifies the values enshrined in this award.
After earning her master’s degree from the School of Social Work at Illinois in 1981, then her Ph.D. in 1988, Feng went on to become a leading figure in the fields of social welfare and social innovation in Taiwan.
She started teaching at NTU in 1983, where she remained until her retirement in 2022, and during her tenure she dedicated herself to academic research.
Her scholarship has primarily focused on child welfare and NPO development, including extensive research on Taiwan’s nonprofit sector, exploring the value of social and organizational sustainability and its architecture for how a society organizes care and public trust for people who are most vulnerable.
She published three specialized books and over 300 academic papers, and she served as the founding chair of the Department of Social Work (2002) and served two terms as the Dean of Student Affairs from 2005 to 2012.
Feng served as a Minister without Portfolio in the Executive Yuan from 2013 to 2016, where she utilized her expertise in social work to transform traditional, residual social welfare thinking into sustainable social innovation.
One of her most notable contributions was leading the planning and passage of Taiwan’s 2014 Social Enterprise Action Plan, which integrated resources from nine ministries to build a social enterprise ecosystem in the country.
Her career, scholarship, and societal contributions have continuously improved people’s lives through the disciplined work of building organizations that depend on each other, and that hold together in an intentional and coherent interconnected system.
Her career offers a practical demonstration of what global citizenship looks like when grounded in professional competence and a commitment to strengthening the systems that support those most in need.
Her visionary promotion and pioneering work in social enterprise policy is also why Feng is widely honored as the "Mother of Social Enterprise” in Taiwan.
Dr. Paul E. McNamara | Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement
Established by the Provost in 2001 and endowed by Dr. Jagdish and Mrs. Madhuri Sheth in 2006, this award recognizes an Illinois faculty member for exemplary accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service in the international arena.
Prof. Paul McNamara, a faculty member in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) since 1999, has demonstrated exemplary impact in the global arena by improving the livelihoods of people around the world through strengthening extension services.
McNamara’s active program of interventions in several developing countries has addressed the gaps in extension services that smallholder farmers face.
Through demonstrable improvements in extension systems, his work has enhanced the livelihoods of more than 17 million smallholder farmers in more than 50 countries.
McNamara, and his AgReach team, work with partners across the globe, using education and technical assistance to help extension organizations and systems improve their delivery of services by maximizing the potential of people and technology.
McNamara’s work has been supported through five major awards funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In collaboration with AgReach staff, faculty partners, and colleagues at other institutions, he has directed USAID and other agency funding totaling over $43 million.
These awards have supported applied research, extension projects, and development interventions in Central Asia, South and South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and South America.
Furthermore, through his teaching and mentoring in agricultural development and nutrition and by developing and leading impactful study abroad experiences and internships, McNamara has significantly influenced hundreds of Illinois students who have gained international perspectives that positively influence their careers and lives, thus adding to Illinois’ legacy and impact worldwide.
Luis Jaimes-Illanes | Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award
Established in 2005, and endowed by Charles C. Stewart in 2007, this award recognizes the accomplishments of an Illinois graduate whose dedicated international service exemplifies the highest ideals of selflessness and dedication to the welfare of communities outside of the United States.
This year’s awardee is Luis Jaimes-Illanes, a Gies College of Business alum, an engineer, and international social impact leader whose work focuses on expanding connectivity, educational access, and development opportunities for communities in Latin America.
Growing up in Bolivia, Jaimes-Illanes experienced first-hand the barriers faced by talented young people in a country where fewer than 3% of students have access to proper English instruction and more than 90% never have international exposure during their studies.
Determined to change that reality, he pursued advanced studies in engineering at Northeastern University and management at Illinois, an experience that shaped both his professional trajectory and his philosophy of service.
In 2021, Jaimes-Illanes co-founded Conecta Mentora to empower Bolivia’s next generation of leaders through mentorship, global networks, and professional development. Guided by the principles of inclusivity and collaboration, the program brings together youth from urban, rural, and Indigenous communities, including members of Bolivia’s thirty-six recognized nations, and connects them with world-class mentors and institutions.
Under his leadership, the initiative grew from an initial cohort of 40 students and 20 mentors to a community of more than 5,000 members with 400 mentors, speakers, and trainers. Its structure combines mentorship, leadership bootcamps, innovation challenges, and global engagement programs—delivered through bilingual (Spanish - English) instruction and radio broadcasts in Quechua, Aymara, and Guaran.
Conecta Mentora is now expanding its model into Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Colombia, with him leading the development of the Conecta Institute, a regional hub for mentorship, innovation, and leadership training for more than 20,000 youth by 2030.
Professionally, he works across aerospace, telecommunications, and autonomous systems, contributing to advanced connectivity solutions in the Americas and abroad.
His contributions to autonomous communication systems and broadband platforms have expanded access to telecommunications for more than 600,000 people across remote regions of Latin America and Africa.
These technological breakthroughs—spanning Nokia, Trilogy International Partners, Surfline Ghana, and his current employer, Altaeros—have strengthened national networks, connected rural schools and clinics, and supported efforts to enhance resilient communications during emergencies.
Jaimes-Illanes embodies the values celebrated by the Stewart Award, combining technical excellence, social entrepreneurship, and deep dedication to empowering underserved communities across Latin America, Africa, and beyond.
Ebubechukwu Uba | Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award
The Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award recognizes an Illinois graduate student (U.S. citizen or international) whose innovative and sustained international research or public service abroad has had a significant, societal impact.
This year, that graduate student is Ebubechukwu Uba, a doctoral student in the School of Information Sciences at Illinois.
She has demonstrated a strong commitment to and passion for her doctoral studies, and developed an innovative research agenda building upon her experience as Founder of Step-Up Academy, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the information and technology literacy of underserved communities in rural Nigeria.
Uba founded Step-Up Academy in 2023 to advance digital literacy and learning opportunities for children and young adults in underserved and orphanage communities across Nigeria.
Through this work, Step-Up Academy aims to bridge the persistent educational and technological divides that limit access to quality education in rural and low-resource areas.
She has worked to design and implement digital learning programs that equip students and teachers with practical digital skills, using low-cost, contextually relevant technologies.
Projects have reached learners in multiple orphanage homes and rural schools through community- based workshops, mentorship programs, and digital literacy bootcamps.
On campus, Uba integrates her experience as founder of the Step-Up Academy into her doctoral research. Her dissertation builds on the important work she does by focusing on digital literacy and technology design equity in rural African contexts and explores how educational technologies can be co-designed and adapted to meet local needs.
Across her research, service, and entrepreneurial work, she demonstrates her commitment to advancing equity in education and technology through culturally grounded, community-driven approaches.
Mia Bonds | Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award
The Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award recognizes an Illinois undergraduate student (U.S. citizen or international) for a significant service or contribution resulting from their participation in an international study course, program, or project.
Mia Bonds, a junior at Illinois, is a civic-minded, globally competent, intellectually curious leader.
Her study abroad experience, research with global scope, and student leadership not only represents the best of what the university hopes undergraduate students will achieve, but it’s also the reason she is this year’s Illinois International Undergraduate Achievement Award recipient.
Bonds is majoring in Agricultural and Consumer Economics with a concentration in Policy, International Trade and Development.
Beyond her interest in international development topics, Bonds is also involved in her global community as a James Scholar, a Ron Brown Scholar, a MANRRS member, and a Greenwood Project participant.
She participated in several internships as well including one as a Money Mentor for the Economic Awareness Council in Chicago during the summer of 2023 where she presented financial planning information to over 250 young people and wrote youth-oriented articles.
Additionally, during her sophomore year, Bonds co-founded the Illinois chapter of Plant Futures, a global non-profit dedicated to promoting sustainability in food systems, an objective that heavily aligns with her interest in food security.
Together, these experiences have shaped Bond’s commitment to advancing sustainable economic development through policies that utilize contributions from firms and investors while centering on the needs of local communities.
Additional Information
Make a gift that supports Global Illini
To learn more about these funds or to help support Illinois International’s mission to foster greater global engagement at Illinois by contributing a tax-deductible donation, please visit the Illinois International giving page.
Nominate a future International Achievement Award recipient
To honor and celebrate the accomplishments of deserving alumni, faculty, and students for their globally-focused work or scholarship with an International Achievement Award nomination, please visit the nomination page. Nominations for all five award categories are collected each fall semester.