Every year, the University Honors Program awards students for implementing the values of UHP: leadership, community service, and research & innovation. These are our 2023 winners.

2023 UHP Student Leadership Award: 

The UHP Leadership Award identifies one student who has exhibited leadership, excellence, and dedication to being a positive, driving force in society. This student has taken the resources and skills they have learned throughout life and through UHP to be a trailblazer. This year’s award recipient is Deepa Marti, a student in the College of Letters and Science majoring in Computer Science with minors in Statistics and Education. 

Deepa had this to say about her experiences as a leader in the UC Davis and UHP community: “I’ve learned that leadership in its truest form is not reserved for the charismatic, the extraverted, or the privileged. It’s not about grand gestures or lofty ambitions or resume padding. It’s about the small acts of kindness, the everyday choices we make, and ultimately the impact we have on those around us. To me, leadership is standing by the door to make sure that everyone can find the right room. It’s asking where the person next to you is from, and it’s texting someone new after the meeting ‘It was great to see you today.’ As we embark on the next phase of our lives, let’s embrace our roles as leaders both in our professions and in our communities. The University Honors Program has given us the skills to tackle complex problems with care and confidence through this unique platform.”

2023 UHP Student Community Service Award: 

The UHP Community Service Award recognizes one student for exhibiting a commitment to giving back to the community during their undergraduate career. All UHP students understand the responsibility to serve the community, but some students truly go above and beyond in their service. This year’s award recipient is Kara Long, a student in the College of Letters and Science majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. 

Kara reflected on serving others through creating community and highlighting shared experiences with mental health challenges: “After volunteering at a local high school, a boy approached me and asked for a hug. He told me that the previous year he had planned to kill himself but decided to get help after hearing me speak. I was touched and decided that I wanted to help others. I founded the non-profit organization Teens4TeensHelp.org with my parents to help teens and young adults who are struggling with mental illness. We created a website where we provide videos of young adults sharing their stories of recovery from specific mental and emotional issues to provide strength, hope, and inspiration to people struggling with similar issues.” 

2023 UHP Research and Innovation Award: 

Every UHP student is encouraged to engage in research or scholarship in which they have the opportunity to apply classroom experiences to real-world situations. Within UHP and Undergraduate Education, we are incredibly proud of all that our students accomplish. The UHP Research and Innovation Award acknowledges a student’s dedication to academic rigor, creativity, learning, and exploration through a research or creative project. This year there were two award recipients. 

First is Paola Pantoja Gomez, a student in the College of Letters and Science with a double major in Mathematics and Chicano/a Studies and a minor in Education. 

Paola shared the details of her Signature Work and its contribution to the community: “My honors thesis contributes new information to the limited information and scholarship on Latinas in STEM, specifically the math field. It provides new perspectives and narratives of first-generation Latinas majoring in math at UCD. It allows people to see what experiences these students went through being underrepresented within the math major. Furthermore, it also illuminates the types of oppression they encountered with both classmates and faculty. However, it also provides narratives of how these students remained resilient and persevered through the math major. This thesis is a starting point for future research to document the experiences of other underrepresented students in different STEM fields and be able to give them a voice to acknowledge their efforts. These students are there but are usually silenced or ignored by research. This thesis further aims to inspire action-oriented research within these communities. This means creating solutions and resources to help improve the experiences of underrepresented students in STEM fields.”

Second is Karim Majdi Abou Najm, a dedicated UHP student who tragically passed away this Spring. Karim was set to graduate with the class of 2023 with a major in Computer Science in the College of Letters and Science. UHP posthumously recognized Karim as a winner of the Research and Innovation Award. Dr. Majdi Abou Najm and Nadine Yehya, Karim’s parents, accepted the award on his behalf. 

Karim worked with UHP peer Lara Ibraheem and UHP faculty Lee Miller to develop a startup focused on connecting undergraduate researchers with research opportunities. Their idea and work was recognized when they won the People’s Choice Award at the January 2022 Little Bang Pitch + Poster Competition. They said about their research, “Cornische is on a mission to solve a critical problem with research in academia, specifically the shortage of talent in research due to the lack of pay when compared to the private sector. The disconnect between the comparatively low hourly pay research institutions can afford and the attraction of the numerous benefits in large technological companies means that top talent—which would make a profound impact in advancing research—is often drawn to the private sector. There is a need for financial incentives to draw skilled students into research to move studies forward and contribute to scientific developments.”

In reflecting on her work with Karim, Lara had this to say: "I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than Karim. He was not only accomplished but also an amazing leader who helped everyone around him grow to their fullest potential. When we first discussed the idea of Cornische, I wasn't sure if I could be on his level of innovation. But he always motivated me to dream big, reminding me that we're working hard for a greater goal. Every time we had a meeting with one of our Cornische mentors, he used to say, 'Wow, we're doing great now! Think of where we'll be in 3 or 6 months down the line.' His unwavering dedication to a cause near and dear to his heart always inspired me. He balanced his internship, building the platform, creating a patent, and connecting with investors while still making time for his friends. Knowing Karim, he was always working on something. I have never met someone so passionate about getting more students into research. He was always brainstorming ways for Cornische to innovate and improve. He inspired me (and still does) to always be ambitious and overcome obstacles. I'll never forget how after we had lost one of the startup competitions, Karim networked with the investors there and got a follow-up meeting with two investors. He started drafting ways to improve the business model right after that competition based on feedback he received. He didn't let a ‘no’ extinguish his fire, and he always kept going. His resilience and ambition are what made him an inspiring leader, and I am grateful for all that he taught me and am sure that his co-workers at the lab feel the same."