Presented annually during Homecoming, the Excellence in Community, Education & Leadership (Ex.C.E.L.) Award was established by KU Alumni, Student Engagement Center, and KU Memorial Unions to celebrate student leaders who make a meaningful impact on campus through their service and engagement.
This award recognizes two outstanding KU students who demonstrate exceptional leadership, strong communication skills, active involvement in the KU community, academic achievement, and the ability to collaborate effectively across a wide variety of student groups and organizations.
Five applicants will be selected as finalists and recognized throughout the week of Homecoming. Two winners will be awarded a $250 stipend, an award plaque, and be announced during the Homecoming Football Game.
Students interested in applying for the award must submit:
Please contact the Homecoming team at homecoming@kualumni.org.
Please complete the application below and upload the required materials.
1991 — Margaret Hu and Louie Lopez
1992 — Jill Russell and Dustin Daugherty
1993 — Carmen San Martin and Trevor Thompson
1994 — Jennifer Ford and Marc Wilson
1995 — Jill Bechtel and Lorraine Claassen
1996 — Amy Turnbull (Lawrence) and Ronald Chen
1997 — Sasha Flores(Hutchinson) and Aroop Kumar Pal (Lawrence)
1998 — Karen Isley (Sylvania, Ohio) and Kevin Yoder (Hutchinson)
1999 — Brenda Ting-Fai Chung (Hong Kong, China) and Eric Rush (Topeka)
2000 — Kimberly Fuchs (Merriam) and Curtis Sloan (Powhattan)
2001 — Anneliese Stoever (Overland Park) and Robert McKenney (Clinton, Mo.)
2002 — Erin Michaelis (Hays) and Irakli Mirazashvili (Ness City)
2003 — Casey Collier (Shawnee) and Jacob Williams (Topeka)
2004 — Susan Henry (Fort Scott) and Gaston Araoz (La Paz, Bolivia)
2005 — Jenna Sheldon-Sherman (Lawrence) and Greyson Clymer (Prairie Village)
2006 — Lauren Pierson (Prairie Village) and Scott Ferguson (Leawood)
2007 — Ashley Bloom (Hutchinson) and Peter Curzon (Phoenix, Ariz.)
2008 — Rachel Burchfield (Topeka) and Nathan Mack (Lawrence)
2009 — Ashley Moser (Topeka) and Matt Enriquez (Topeka)
2010 — Tonia Salas (Alameda, Calif.) and Michael Wade Smith (Goodland)
2011 — Emily Lamb (Lawrence) and Hunter Hess (McPherson)
2012 — Kathryn Hoven (Chester, N.J.) and Brandon Rogers (Plano, Texas)
2013 — Natalie Scott (Topeka) and Bryne Gonzalez (Topeka)
2014 — Ellie Eastes (Pratt) and Graham Naasz (Overland Park)
2015 — Hannah Reinhart (Parkville, Missouri) and Evan Traylor (Edmond, Oklahoma)
2016 — Jordan Hildenbrand (Blue Springs, Missouri) and Abdoulie Njai (Wichita)
2017 — Sana Cheema (Hays, Kansas) and Zoya Khan (Overland Park, Kansas)
2018 — Jose Montoya (Los Lunas, New Mexico) and Jonnette Oakes (Topeka)
2019 — Tiara Floyd (Junction City), Daphne Lin (Coffeyville), and Jalynn Tann (Centennial, Colorado)
2020 — Elaine Pope (Overland Park) and Adrian Romero (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
2021 — Javen Betts (Kansas City, Kansas), Nikki Brown (Kansas City, Missouri), and Lily Nguyen (Wichita)
2022 — Aylar Atadurdyyeva (Ashgabat, Turkmenistan), Miracle Emenuga (Lagos, Nigeria), and Mikayla Leader (Wichita)
2023 — Libby Frost (WaKeeney) and Thanh Tan Nguyen (Phu Yen, Vietnam)
2024 — Emma Saville (Mulvane) and Aarush Sehgal (Chandigarh, India)
2025 — Hannah Kaiser (Leipzig, Germany) and Sarah Walsh (Leawood)
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