Every Moms Weekend, the University of Illinois’ Moms Association awards scholarships and grants to Illinois students and organizations. This past year, due to COVID-19 the award ceremony wasn’t held, but the Moms Association still wishes to acknowledge the recipients.
Mom of the Year Award
Summer Phillips of Tuscola, Illinois, received the 13th annual Amelia Alpiner Stern Mom of the Year award.
The award gives students an opportunity to honor the support, encouragement and inspiration that their moms provide.
Phillips was nominated by her daughter, Miah, a sophomore at Illinois.
To read Miah’s nomination visit the “News and Updates” section at union.illinois.edu/PFPO.
Illini Spirit Award
Engineers in Action - Bridge Program received the Illini Spirit Award.
The mission of Engineers in Action – Bridge Program is to eradicate rural isolation in the world by constructing footbridges over impassable rivers. We fight for a world where a river no longer hinders someone from reaching a hospital, a child from being able to access education, or a farmer to access their land. Bridges built in the past by this program have led to a 12% increase in children enrolled in school, a 59% increase of women in the labor market, and an 18% increase in healthcare treatment for communities.
Medallion of Honor
Nisi Sturgis received the Medallion of Honor Award.
Sturgis currently works as an Assistant Professor of Acting at Illinois. She is an actress, educator, director, collaborator, and all-around idea gal. She hails from Arkansas, where she attended the Youth Theatre of Central Arkansas for six seasons and went on to graduate from the University of Central Arkansas with a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing. Nisi went on to pursue her Master of Fine Arts degree in acting and was the youngest person accepted to the Old Globe Graduate Training Program. She has been privileged to find many artistic homes over the course of 15 years working professionally as an AEA and SAG member.
The Medallion of Honor award was created in 1966. Since 1977, this award has been given to a woman affiliated with the university.
Scholarship Winners
A one-time scholarship of $1,000 was awarded to four full-time students who have successfully completed at least 24 college credit hours. The winners are:
- Krystal Sanchez, freshman, psychology
- Riley McDonald, freshman, chemical engineering
- Sophie Luijten, sophomore, global studies/spanish
- Carissa Mysliwiec, sophomore, architectural studies
Visit union.illinois.edu/PFPO for more information.
