Honoring Service, Integrity, and Community Commitment

What the Award Recognizes

The Ut Prosim Award honors a CALS student who exemplifies the university motto, That I May Serve. This award celebrates students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to service, values-driven leadership, and contributions that strengthen the CALS, local, or global community.

Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.

Who the Award Is Designed For

Students who have engaged in service-oriented activities, formal or informal, academic or applied, that make a meaningful difference. This award is appropriate for students whose impact may not always be publicly visible but is deeply felt by peers, community partners, or the college.

What Makes a Strong Nominee

A strong nominee will have:

• Documented and sustained service contributions through volunteerism, outreach, mentorship, peer support, or community-engaged learning
• Demonstrated integrity, reliability, compassion, and value-based leadership
• A clear positive impact on individuals, organizations, or the broader community
• Alignment with the spirit of Ut Prosim as demonstrated in actions, choices, and personal growth with a consistent orientation toward service across academic, applied, or experiential settings.

Who Can Nominate

Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, or community partners who are directly familiar with the student’s service activities. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

Honors Innovation, Bold Leadership, and Pioneering Contributions

What the Award Recognizes

The CALS Trailblazer Award recognizes a student who demonstrates imaginative thinking, forward-looking leadership, and a willingness to challenge norms to create positive change within CALS or the broader field of agriculture and life sciences.

Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.

Who the Award Is Designed For

Students who pursue innovative ideas, initiate new programs or solutions, or break new ground as leaders, researchers, creators, or advocates.

What Makes a Strong Nominee

A strong nominee will have:

• Evidence of innovation, creativity, or entrepreneurial thinking
• Examples of pioneering action, such as launching a project, leading new initiatives, or shaping meaningful improvements
• Demonstrated courage and resilience in navigating challenges, taking risks, or advocating for new ideas
• Impact that shows potential for long-term benefit to CALS, their field, or the community

Who Can Nominate

Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners familiar with the student’s innovative or trailblazing contributions. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

Honors students who spark collective impact through leadership, collaboration, and mentorship.

What the Award Recognizes

The CALS Catalyst Award honors students who ignite positive change by energizing others, strengthening organizations or teams, and advancing shared goals. This award recognizes collaborative leaders who mentor peers, build partnerships, and elevate the work of groups, clubs, or programs across CALS.

Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.

Who the Award Is Designed For

Students who:

• Demonstrate strong leadership in student clubs, teams, or programs
• Foster collaboration and shared success
• Mentor peers or guide others’ development
• Lead initiatives that improve processes, programs, organizations, or community efforts

What Makes a Strong Nominee

A strong nominee will have:

• Evidence of programmatic or group impact (e.g., improving a club, leading a team, launching an initiative)
• Demonstrated collaboration, communication, and partnership-building
• Examples of mentoring others or building leadership capacity in their peers
• A track record of mobilizing people, strengthening group culture, or improving systems

Who Can Nominate

Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

Honors intellectual curiosity, early inquiry, and promise for future scholarly or professional impact.

What the Award Recognizes

The CALS Emerging Scholar Award recognizes a student who demonstrates exceptional intellectual curiosity, a strong desire to learn, and meaningful early engagement in scholarly, applied, or inquiry-based work. This award celebrates students who are beginning to explore their academic or professional field in deeper ways and show clear potential for future contribution.

Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.

Who the Award Is Designed For

Students who:

• Appreciate learning for its own sake and pursue knowledge beyond required coursework
• Engage in early-stage research, inquiry, applied projects, technical investigations, or academic enrichment
• Take initiative to ask thoughtful questions, explore ideas, or try new forms of scholarly or applied work.
• Show a promising trajectory toward future academic, technical, or professional impact even if still early in experience

What Makes a Strong Nominee

A strong nominee will have:

• Clear evidence of intellectual curiosity, seeking out learning opportunities, asking insightful questions, or exploring ideas independently
• Demonstrated engagement in inquiry, whether through research, applied learning, technical projects, creative problem-solving, or community-engaged scholarship
• A visible growth trajectory that indicates promise for future contribution in their field, profession, or community
• A developing but distinctive scholarly voice or set of interests, even if their academic record is not yet fully established.

Key Clarification:

This award does not recognize high GPA alone. Academic excellence may support a nomination, but the emphasis is on curiosity, inquiry, initiative, and future potential.

Who Can Nominate

Faculty members, research mentors, advisors, graduate assistants, or experiential learning supervisors.

Honoring resilience, transition excellence, and students who uplift others while overcoming challenges.

What the Award Recognizes

The CALS Champion Award recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional resilience and persistence in the face of adversity, significant transitions, or personal challenges while still actively supporting and encouraging their peers. This award honors individuals who rise strong and help others rise with them.

Students in any CALS major or program, including the Agricultural Technology Program, are eligible and encouraged to be nominated.

Who the Award Is Designed For

Students who:

• Overcame notable personal, academic, health, financial, or life challenges
• Demonstrated strength, perseverance, and determination
• Navigated major transitions (including transfer students or students returning after time away)
• Continued to uplift classmates and contribute positively to their community despite personal obstacles

What Makes a Strong Nominee

A strong nominee will have:

• A compelling story of resilience, recovery, or adaptation
• Evidence of personal growth and persistence through barriers
• Examples of supporting or championing peers, whether formally or informally
• Contributions that show courage, compassion, and community-mindedness

Who Can Nominate

Students, faculty, advisors, staff, mentors, organizational leaders, or community partners. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.