2022 Love Purple Live Gold Awards Ceremony Recognizes Outstanding Students

BATON ROUGE – LSU Campus Life celebrated outstanding leaders, advisors and student organizations at the Love Purple Live Gold Awards on Monday, April 18. Out of 243 nominees, 16 awards were given out to student leaders for their outstanding efforts during the 2021-22 school year. 

2022 Love Purple Live Gold Awards individual recipients include:

Agent of Change Award
Emily Otken, Senior, Biological Sciences, Denham Springs, La. 
The Agent of Change Award recognizes a student who best demonstrates strong leadership skills while generating campus wide awareness on existing social issues. 

Emerging Leader Award
Zachary LeBlanc, Freshman, Biological Sciences, Lake Charles, La.
The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a first-year student who demonstrates an interest in enhancing personal leadership skills by participating in leadership programs and takes on active roles in student organizations.  

Legacy Award
Emily Otken, Senior, Biological Sciences, Denham Springs, La.
The Legacy Award recognizes one undergraduate senior who is engaged on campus and has made a long-term improvement to enhance the quality of students’ lives at LSU for future generations. 

Unsung Hero Award
Ella Otken, Sophomore, Biological Sciences, Denham Springs, La.
The Unsung Hero Award recognizes a student who has made significant differences in their respective organizations, without holding top-tier executive positions. 

Advisor of the Year Award 
Henry Hebert, Advisor to Les Voyagers, Assistant Director of Recruitment, LSU College of Agriculture
The Advisor of the Year Award recognizes an advisor who provides guidance and support, builds leaders, fosters community, and contributes time and talent to their organization. 

Graduate Student of the Year Award
Fatimat Badmus, Graduate Student, Chemistry, Osogbo, Nigeria, and Miya Cicely Tate, Graduate Student, Social Work and Public Health, Bogalusa, La. 
The Graduate Student Leader of the Year Award recognizes a graduate student who has made a significant contribution to the quality of life at LSU. To be nominated for this award by peers is to be recognized for contributions to our LSU community while engaging in academically rigorous programs and research. This year there were two winners in this category.

Undergraduate Student Leader of the Year Award
Miles McLendon, Junior, Political Science and Economics, League City, Texas, and Ella Otken, Sophomore, Biological Sciences, Denham Springs, La.
The Undergraduate Student Leader of the Year Award recognizes an undergraduate student who has made a significant contribution to the quality of life at LSU. The students selected for this award demonstrate their commitment to LSU by making a significant improvement in numerous areas of our campus community. This year there were two winners in this category.

2022 Love Purple Live Gold Awards organizational recipients include:

Commitment to Community Award: Geaux Vote
The Commitment to Community award recognizes an organization that works toward accepting responsibility for our actions, holding ourselves accountable, practicing justice and compassion in human relations and uplifting each other. Geaux Vote is an organization committed to increasing voter registration and civic engagement on LSU’s campus. Since 2016, Geaux Vote members have registered over 6,500 students to vote. Their collective hard work enabled LSU students to turn out to vote in the 2020 election at nearly 65%, one of the highest rates at a public institution and in the SEC.

Academic/Educational Program: African American Cultural Center Ambassadors and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association
The Outstanding Educational Program award recognizes a program that focuses on a specific discipline or topic that furthers knowledge in that area and encourages dialogue and learning among the attendees. This year, Black Minds Matter served as an opportunity for both student attendees and panelists to be in a room and express their concerns without judgement. The program gave Black experts, scholars, and graduate students a platform to share important research and information about Black wellness.

Advocacy Program: Feminists in Action
The Advocacy Program award recognizes a program that most exemplifies dedication towards the welfare of a cause, global topic, or existing social issue. The program selected for this award is one that engages students through creating awareness, providing solutions, and promoting social change. Feminists in Action hosted March in Action, a program which raised awareness and support for survivors and gave students a platform to discuss the taboo subject of sexual assault.

Collaborative Program Award: African American Cultural Center Ambassadors and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association
The Outstanding Collaborative Program Award recognizes the program that best represents a program made stronger through collaboration by more than one student organization. Black Minds Matter relied on strong partnerships from student organizations, several LSU departments, and organizations across the state of Louisiana. This event brought together a variety of resources for Black students both at LSU and in the greater community that fostered their personal and professional development.

Multi-Cultural/Diversity Program Award: Feminists in Action 
The Outstanding Diversity Program Award recognizes the program that builds positive interactions among different cultures and promotes awareness of cultural and global issues. The March in Action program hosted by Feminists in Action worked to amplify voices of a diverse group of students calling for critical change in the LSU community.

Service/Volunteer Program: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and Student Philanthropy Council 
The Outstanding Service or Volunteer Program award recognizes a program that focuses on community service and volunteerism. The first outstanding service program, Jambalaya Jam, with Alpha Tau Omega, raised more than $18,000 in the Fall 2021 semester to donate to Team Gleason, a non-profit devoted to providing financial assistance and resources to those battling ALS. 

The second outstanding service program, Raise for Relief, with Student Philanthropy Council, was held in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida in August 2021 and raised $3,500 in one day for LSU students who lost their family homes and their belongings. This campaign gathered resources for students in need and promoted the value of philanthropy and service to the greater LSU community.

Social Program: Student Activities Board
The Outstanding Social Program award recognizes a social program that offered a fun and safe environment for students to make connections. This year’s Outstanding Social Program, Geauxchella, helped students to engage and make connections while singing and dancing to music acts with other students. 

New Student Organization: The African Graduate Student Association
The New Student Organization recognizes a registered student organization that was created between January 2020 and December 2021. The African Graduate Student Association, or AGSA, members are graduate students from more than fifteen African countries who established this organization in 2020 to create a safe and open space for cross-cultural interactions between students of different backgrounds. 

Student Organization of the Year: Black Student Union
The Student Organization of the Year award recognizes a registered student organization that has demonstrated continuous commitment to the mission of the organization as well as academics, leadership development, student involvement, diversity, service and collaboration. Black Student Union works to promote awareness and to create active change on campus through supporting Black students in a variety of ways, including large social events, professional networking opportunities, and educational initiatives. 

LSU Campus Life works closely with more than 400 student organizations, countless student organization leaders and advisors, and is home to some of LSU's biggest traditions. The department's mission is to enhance student learning through innovative initiatives focused on the tenets of involvement, leadership, and service that enrich the LSU experience. Campus Life serves a diverse student population and strives to make LSU an increasingly vibrant campus community.

 

Media note:
Please contact Alison Paz, apaz6@lsu.edu, for student headshots.