Please join us in congratulating the following student leaders, staff, and organizations on winning this year’s Oski Student Leadership Awards:
Outstanding Student Staff Member
This award is given to a student employee who has significantly impacted the campus community through innovation, collaboration, and the quality of leadership they have displayed.
Winner: Erin McCall, member of the Underground Scholars Initiative (USI), for her work supporting wellness and advocating for educational and vocational training programs for people on parole.
Outstanding Faculty & Staff Advisor Award
This award is given annually to a member of the faculty, administrative, or support staff who has repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to the community and its needs and who has also affected the lives of UC Berkeley students.
Winner: David Sorrell, Berkeley Parking and Transportation Demand Management Administrator & Transportation Network Manager, for his work to make transportation more equitable for students.
Outstanding Campus Partnership Award
This award is presented to a group of students, faculty, and/or administrative staff who demonstrate commitment to UC Berkeley’s principles of community and have positively impacted the student experience.
Winner: Period Party Decal, a class led by students Christie Bao and Brynn Norby, which provides a safe and inclusive space for education and awareness of various aspects of the female reproductive cycle.
Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Award
This award is given to a graduate organization that has significantly impacted the graduate student population, the campus, or the community through innovation, collaboration, and the quality of leadership they have displayed.
Winner: First-Generation and/or Low-Income Graduate Students (FGLI Grads) for their work to connect and empower FGLI graduate students to thrive during their time at Cal.
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Organization Award
This award is given to a group of students who have significantly impacted the undergraduate student population, the campus, or the community through innovation, collaboration, and the quality of leadership they have displayed.
Winner: The Residence Hall Assembly (RHA) for their work in re-establishing RHA’s presence on campus through large-scale programming and as a student advocacy organization.
Dean’s Award for Inclusive Excellence
This award is presented by the Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students to a student who has demonstrated a commitment to the values of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and belonging, justice and positively impacted the lives of UC Berkeley students.
Winner: Alex Maya-Romero for his support of PREP scholars, leading them to secure a place in various graduate schools, including UC Berkeley, Yale, the University of Washington, and Brown University.
Vice Chancellor Student Affairs Outstanding Leadership Award
This award is presented to undergraduate or graduate students who have demonstrated significant and sustained leadership to the campus community through equity, innovation, and collaboration.
Winner: Varsha Madapoosi for her many environmental leadership roles and focus on expanding environmental justice education.
Winner: Madeleine Weiss for serving on the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Advisory Committee and as a student leader for Berkeley Hillel.
Winner: Teena Bajaj for her work as a peer mentor and a people’s choice award at the Grad Slam competition in 2022.
Kenneth Priestley Award
This award, established by the Associated Students, the Cal Alumni Association, and friends in memory of Kenneth Priestley, recognizes a “graduating senior who is outstanding in student leadership and contribution to student welfare.”
Winner: James Weichert, for his many ASU leadership roles, such as Chair of the Student Fee Referendum, Co-Chair of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Student Services and Fees (CACSSF), two-time Academic Affairs Vice President for the ASUC, and Academic Chair for the systemwide University of California Student Association.