The WashU student voting organization and two members of the Gephardt Institute’s Civic Leadership Programs were recognized for their leadership efforts last weekend.
On Sunday, April 23, Washington University’s Campus Life department held its annual Excellence in Leadership Awards ceremony, to celebrate and honor the outstanding achievements of WashU students and the support of their co-curricular experiences.
Among the honorees were Otto Brown, a Class of 2023 Civic Scholar; Mishka Narasimhan ‘24, who was accepted this spring to the St. Louis Fellowship Program; and WashU Votes, a student organization that works within the Gephardt Institute to support voter engagement.
WashU Votes received the Event of the Year Award for Party at the Polls, held on Nov. 8, 2022 for the Midterm Election. Featuring live music, food, games, activities with student groups, a selfie station and more, Party at the Polls was designed to bring students together to drive enthusiasm for voting and participation, and urge student registered voters to cast their ballots.
“We are so delighted that Party at the Polls had such a significant impact on the civic engagement of the WashU community, said Priya Anand ‘25, who along with Amelia Letson co-chairs WashU Votes. “It is truly an honor that Campus Life recognized the efforts of WashU Votes to engage citizens civically and eliminate obstacles to voting.”
“[Party at the Polls] brought together a community that surpassed racial, gender and national origin boundaries,” said Stan Sweeney, executive director of Campus Life, who presented the award. “Being the first event of this sort, it made a large impact, and will continue to do great work. This event has won national recognition from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, also called NASPA, and is on track to become a staple in the WashU community.”
The Ripple Award, presented to Narasimhan, is given to a student who, among other qualities, stands up for their ideals and strikes out against injustice. Narasimhan, a junior, co-hosts two podcasts on medicine, one that explores medicine with experts and pioneers, and the other that explores intersections of medicine, race and ethnicity in St. Louis. As a St. Louis Fellow, this summer she plans to intern at a local nonprofit medical clinic.
Not only does she advocate St. Louis, but Narasimhan is also strives for better equity among her fellow students.
“This year, as Student Union Speaker of the Treasury, they worked hard to ensure equitable access to student group funding by engaging in challenging conversations as the leader of the body,” said Fatima Delgado Taboada, residential community director, who presented the Ripple Award.
Throughout his WashU career, Otto Brown ‘23 has been highly involved with the Gephardt Institute, as a member and co-chair of WashU Votes and a Civic Scholar. He will join the institute as a staff member—Civic Engagement Manager—after commencement next month.
With three of his peers, Brown was recognized on Sunday with a Shepley Outstanding Senior Award, which is presented to outstanding seniors who have excelled in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and service to the University community over their entire collegiate career.
“[Otto] has excelled as an effective and thoughtful leader in the WashU community throughout his four years here. He built upon his previous interests and joined student groups that aligned with his interests, connected to his peers and contributed to the WashU community,” said Dean of Students Rob Wild, who presented Brown with the Shepley award.
“I was honored to receive the Shepley Outstanding Senior Award and to be recognized alongside three other excellent senior leaders,” Brown said. “There are many folks who have supported me these past four years—including my family, friends, and mentors—without whom I would not have received this honor.
“I have greatly enjoyed working with others to improve our campus community these past four years, and I hope to continue this important work as I transition into my staff role at the Institute.”