Recipients of the 2022 UCCS Campus Awards. Photo credit: Chuck Bigger 
Suzanne Cook, Senior Instructor of French Languages and Cultures, won the 2022 Faculty Service Award. 
Kevin W. O’Neil ’89, CEO of the O’Neil Group Company, won the 2022 Alumni and Friends Award. 
Kevin W. O’Neil ’89, CEO of the O’Neil Group Company, won the 2022 Alumni and Friends Award. 
Melia Qualls, senior, Mechanical Engineering, and Hadeel Khammash, senior, Biomedical Sciences, won the 2022 Student Achievement Awards. 
Hadeel Khammash, senior, Biomedical Sciences, won a 2022 Student Achievement Award. 
Melia Qualls, senior, Mechanical Engineering, won a 2022 Student Achievement Award. 
Melia Qualls, senior, Mechanical Engineering, and Hadeel Khammash, senior, Biomedical Sciences, won the 2022 Student Achievement Awards. 
Florence Jathanna ’20, graduate student, Master of Arts in Leadership with a concentration in Student Affairs and Higher Education, won the 2022 Student Employee of the Year Award. 
Suzanne Cook, Senior Instructor of French Languages and Cultures, won the 2022 Campus Sustainability Award. 
Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology, and Layla Almasri, senior, Healthcare Sciences, were the recipients of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Awards. 
Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology, was a recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Award. 
Layla Almasri, senior, Healthcare Sciences, was a recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Award. 
Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology, and Layla Almasri, senior, Healthcare Sciences, were the recipients of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Awards. 
Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology, was a recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Award. 
Layla Almasri, senior, Healthcare Sciences, was a recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Award. 
Alisha Silkey, junior, Psychology, won the 2022 Ron Wisner Human Spirit and Leadership Award. 
Alisha Silkey, junior, Psychology, won the 2022 Ron Wisner Human Spirit and Leadership Award. 
Laith Al-Shawaf, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of Undergraduate Education in Psychology, won the 2022 Students’ Choice Award for Educator of the Year Award. 
Niki Juhl, Senior Instructor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, won the 2022 Outstanding Instructor Award. 
Laith Al-Shawaf, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of Undergraduate Education in Psychology, won the 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Research. 
Rita Martinez, barista, Sanitorium Grounds, won the 2022 Garrett Swasey Outstanding Staff Award. 
Rita Martinez, barista, Sanitorium Grounds, won the 2022 Garrett Swasey Outstanding Staff Award. 
Rita Martinez 
Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology, was a recipient of the 2022 Thomas F. McLaughlin Award. 
Chancellor Reddy gave opening remarks and emceed the ceremony. 
Kevin W. O’Neil ’89, CEO of the O’Neil Group Company, won the 2022 Alumni and Friends Award. 
Attendees celebrated 12 recipients of campus awards, in addition to 25 faculty and staff who retired over the past year. 
Chancellor Reddy gave opening remarks and emceed the ceremony.
Hosted in person for the first time since 2019, the UCCS community celebrated faculty, staff, students and alumni in the annual Campus Awards Ceremony, held on Apr. 19 in Berger Hall.
“We’ve had a couple of extraordinary years together as we navigated through the pandemic,” said Venkat Reddy, Chancellor of UCCS. “I don’t have to remind you of the challenges we faced, or the obstacles we overcame. You were right there, helping the UCCS community to pull together, to make the impossible possible.”
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you have done for UCCS, our students and our community,” Reddy continued. “We could not have done this work without you. Even on the most difficult days, we continued to build on our vision for a bright future together.”
The ceremony honored 12 recipients of campus awards, in addition to 25 faculty and staff who retired in the past year. The award recipients included:
- Alumni and Friends Award: Kevin W. O’Neil ’89, CEO of the O’Neil Group Company
- Campus Sustainability Award: Suzanne Cook, Senior Instructor of French Languages and Cultures
- Faculty Assembly Service Award: Suzanne Cook, Senior Instructor of French Languages and Cultures
- Faculty Award for Excellence in Research: Laith Al-Shawaf, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of Undergraduate Education in Psychology
- Garrett Swasey Outstanding Staff Award: Rita Martinez, barista, Sanitorium Grounds
- Outstanding Instructor Award: Niki Juhl, Senior Instructor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Outstanding Teacher Award: Darshika Perera, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Ron Wisner Human Spirit and Leadership Award: Alisha Silkey, junior, Psychology
- Student Achievement Awards: Hadeel Khammash, senior, Biomedical Sciences; and Melia Qualls, senior, Mechanical Engineering
- Student Employee of the Year Award: Florence Jathanna ’20, graduate student, Master of Arts in Leadership with a concentration in Student Affairs and Higher Education
- Students’ Choice Award for Educator of the Year: Laith Al-Shawaf, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of Undergraduate Education in Psychology
- Thomas F. McLaughlin Awards: Afe Zeru, junior, Sociology; Layla Almasri, senior, Healthcare Sciences
You can watch the full ceremony online.
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