Scholar Spotlight
Showcasing our Scholars and the OpScholar Program!
Scholars strive to create opportunities for the community and the UM-Dearborn campus, truly making a difference. Below we recognize the Scholars who are engaged and involved, and highlight mentions of the Program as a whole.
Five OpScholars named 2017 Dearborn Difference Makers
Each year, the University recognizes 50 University of Michigan-Dearborn Difference Makers, and Engaged Scholars have continually been represented among this distinguished group. UM-Dearborn Difference Makers are recognized as being at the forefront of their fields. They’re improving the lives of others and making an impact here in our local communities. Nominated by faculty and staff, these individuals aren’t just outstanding students and alumni, they embody academic and professional achievement, integrity and leadership. You can see each of the Scholars feature videos below.
Engaged Scholar Difference Makers
This student has been a champion for campus and community engagement ever since they stepped on campus!
Through their active participation and dedication to campus engagement, this person, “makes the campus a better place for all students.” Described as intelligent, dependable, creative and passionate, our winner has been an active leader and citizen on and off campus.
As an Engaged Scholar, this student has used their kind and welcoming spirit to serve as a role model and friend to encourage and motivate other new students to become active members within the E-Scholar community. This student has been feverishly working to grow interest, enthusiasm, and visibility for the Program and they have been incredibly successful!
His involvement on campus includes his work with the Engaged Scholar Program, the Leadership Advisory Program (LAB), the CRUISE to Success and WOW Metro Programs.
While balancing all of his social priorities, he was able to demonstrate academic success in the Fall and Winter semesters – and he made it look easy! This upcoming academic year, he will serve as the lead in designing and implementing innovative programs to welcome incoming Engaged Scholars. It will be our best year yet!
This Wolverine is truly incredible and is absolutely deserving of this award.
Congratulations, Omari Johnson!
Distinguished Student Leader
Each year, the University of Michigan - Dearborn community comes together to recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments of our Wolverines! One of the most prestigious awards of the show, is the Distinguished Student Leader. It is one earned by students who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, collaboration and community building on campus. Many Engaged Scholars earn this award for the positive examples they set on campus. Check out our past winners below!
Karina Nava (2020): " She has shown leadership on campus through her experience as an Orientation Leader and Orientation Program Assistant. Through these roles, she helped potential and incoming students with their first exposure to campus to ensure students were confident and ready to start college. Having worked alongside her since our freshman year, I can say without a doubt that her drive and tenacity has truly made this campus what it is. Being a leading figure in the scholar community since its inception up until now and also being a notable figure in the Office of Institutional Advancement. We always learn a great deal from Karina through her compassion, dedication, and undeniable leadership and strong as she shares." - Student Nominator
Daniella Hernandez (2020): "She's an artist, she's a human rights defender, she's a leader. She has found the time to be an active member of the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority acting as one of the new member educators and also the social media chair, which both require a sizeable amount of time.In addition to these positions, she has been an active member of the Honors Program, worked as an orientation leader with us, and at the writing center. Through all of this, she has maintained excellent grades and has gotten into NYU's exclusive art administration program." - Staff Nominator
Josue Rios (2021): "Josue serves as a positive example to young professionals and is one of the most motivated students I have had the pleasure of working with. He is passionate about social change and is truly a difference maker in our community and beyond. He is a distinguished student leader who is active in the Engaged Scholars Program as a Leadership Advisory Board member and also has founded his own student organization, Culture: The Musician Club. Josue always has other students’ best interests and success in mind and serves as a role model for other students." - Staff Nominator
Ghadah Abdulshafi (2021): “This student has been involved in several mentoring and teaching initiatives on campus - She is a mentor for the Generations' Keeper Club, Diverse Understanding and Creating Program (DUCC),Communities in Schools Mentor, (CIS) Dearborn Tutoring Club and she has been supplemental instructor for chemistry and biology. These involvements demonstrate her commitment to helping her fellow student succeed. She is also the event coordinator for UNICEF where she has organized several fundraising events to support the organizations mission: childhood nutrition, disability awareness and education, building wells in Africa." - Staff Nominator