Two University of Kansas students were named winners of the 2023 Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Awards, presented by Konica Minolta. Libby Frost of WaKeeney and Thanh Tan Nguyen of Phu Yen, Vietnam, were recognized during the KU-Oklahoma football game Oct. 28 in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, which concluded a week of activities for KU’s 111th Homecoming celebration.
Frost, a senior in business administration on the pre-med track, is president of the KU Panhellenic Association and vice president of marketing for her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi.
Nguyen, a senior in business analytics and supply chain management, is executive director of Student Union Activities and president of the KU Memorial Corp. board. He is active in the University Honors Program and led the Homecoming Steering Committee as executive director.
- Ask: Our ability to understand is limited by what we choose to ask. As an Association, we want to ask questions that will inform us, stretch us and cause us to think deeper and harder about how we create an inclusive environment for all Jayhawks.
- Listen: Listening is a skill that requires a deeper level of care than simply hearing. We want to create space for experiences, feedback and insights to guide how we show up and continue to evolve as an Association.
- Embrace: We choose to receive experiences, feedback and insights that we may or may not hold to be our own. Our Jayhawk experiences might look different, but they are embraced, and we hold space for them.
- Act: Collective conversations provide insight and understanding into what we do well and where we have room to evolve as a Jayhawk community. Those conversations can be leveraged as a springboard to move in accordance with our values and mission as an organization through intentional action.
Being a Jayhawk is an identity I possess and hold dear, as it has shaped my experiences, opportunities, and relationships prior to ever stepping foot on KU’s campus. I am excited to serve my university in this capacity and am committed to carrying forward the dream of Dr. King through advocacy, action and care for my beloved Jayhawk community. Rock Chalk!
On this day of remembrance, reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and what his life’s work has done to inspire inclusion and connectivity “with all peoples, to shape a new world.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
