DALLAS (March 3, 2023) –The Congressional Award North Texas Ceremony was held last weekend on Feb. 25 at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where 170 young people were honored for their outstanding achievements. SMU Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Maria Dixon Hall received the 2023 Education Champion Award.
The ceremony took place at SMU’s Crum Auditorium where North Texas medalists were celebrated for hundreds of hours dedicated to goal setting and making lasting contributions in their communities. The award ceremony was attended by family members, friends, and community leaders, including Texas State Representative Venton Jones, Congressional Award Board Members Mateo Magdaleno, Kim Talley and Skip Braziel, SMU Chief Diversity Officer and 2023 Education Champion honoree Dr. Maria Dixon Hall, and SMU President, R. Gerald Turner.
Magdaleno congratulated the award recipients, saying, “The Congressional Award is not only about achieving goals, but igniting a passion for service, and self-development. We are proud of these young people for their perseverance in the face of adversity and using their personal experiences to change the lives of others in their communities.”
SMU President, R. Gerald Turner, praised the award recipients and encouraged them to continue striving for excellence in all areas of their lives. “The Congressional Award is a symbol of your dedication and hard work, and we are proud to be a part of this celebration,” said President Turner.
Dr. Maria Dixon Hall expressed her continued passion for engaging with students as she received the Education Champion Award. “For me, SMU is about this kind of servant leadership,” she said. “I am so proud to be a school in which to teach is to be a part of the life of your student.”
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of medals and STEM Stars to the award recipients, who were recognized for their outstanding achievements in voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration.
About The Congressional Award Foundation
The Congressional Award is the United States Congress’ only charity and the highest honor bestowed upon a youth civilian through the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Established by Congress as a public-private partnership in 1979 under Public Law 96-114, the program recognizes initiative, service, and achievement in youth ages 13 ½ – 23. To learn more about The Congressional Award please visit www.congressionalward.org.
Isaac-Zemariam Abraham*
Eleena Akotia*
Yusuf Aydin
Baylee Brown
Luca Campbell
Nicholas Collings
Asher Douglas Cook*
Shiloh Cook*
Chelsea Derbyshire
Courtney Derrington
Enna Diaz
Zeynep Ertuna
Erin Franklin
Nermin Gezgin
Shawn Gititu
Isabel Rebecca Hester
Philip Hester
Kirsten Jaquish
Autumn Jermstad
Shravan Konduru*
Daphne Lynd
James Joseph Mahon VI
Danielle Martin
Gage Martinez
Caitlin Mendoza
Sarah Miller
Hannah Mohr
Clara Grace Moore*
Munachiso Nnamani
Avi Patel
Caroline Paz
Maritza Ramirez
Tarunkrishna Ramji*
Zahra Rangwala
Bethany Ridgeway
Riya Sajan*
Ethan Salas
Canyon Schultz
Saanavi Shah*
Josephine Sim
Kacie Simmons
Manoj Singireddy*
Meghana Singireddy*
Xaviera Stevens
Benjamin Stewart
Siddharth Sundaram
Naomi Tial
Kyra Watson
Calli Webb
Eliana White
Worthey Wiles
Trinity Wiley*
Sarah Yoo
Sarika Ahire
Rohita Arjarapu
Sriram Ayalavarapu
Venkat Ayalavarapu
Nicholas Boling
Madeline Chun
Kaylon Copeland
Khushi Dahya
Diego Delgado*
Sunil Desha
Avery Donaldson
Sarvani Durbhakula
Andon Epp
Samuel Gilmer
Mahek Goel*
Alexander Harms*
Kyler Hester
Ella Hester
David Hester
Shea Hinckley
Sydney Hinckley
Nausheen Hossain*
Jonah Ismael*
Sally Ismael*
Rishi Kata*
Bilal Khan
Beomjun Kim*
Ivy Koh
Reva Kolhe*
Sruthi Lingam*
Sage McDowell
Dhilan Nag*
Ajitesh Narayan*
Angeli Patel
Maia Mrugesh Patel
Elise Pham
Evan Rama
Aubrey Reeves
Nairit Sarkar
Katherine Sinclair
Eshan Singhal*
Ashley Smith*
Shruti Srivastava
Daniel Thomas*
Eric Tong*
Ishan Vemireddy*
Prisha Vithalani
Gracie Wakefield*
Johnathan Walk
Thomas Warkentine
Sophia Wei*
Busra Yesil*
Hafsa Alaparmak
Barret Allen
Saahas Bondalapati
Spencer Burke
Kai Campbell
Haleigh Ann-Marie Chapin
Alaqmar Chawalwala
Rohan Cherukuru*
Shreya Chhibber
Jaemin Choi
Seoyeon Chung*
Karina K. Dahya*
Saachi Dala*
Muhammed Bera Dogan
Kendall Gee
Eric Gonzalez
Ishayu Gupta*
Serene Haroon
Jibran Haroon
Batoul Hussein*
Muhsin Server Ince
Suhani Jampala
Courtney Janecka
Jade Johnson
Mucteba Karaca
Aaliyah Khan*
Weronika Konwent
Natalie Kozik
Jetta Lewis
Kassandra Loera
Francisco Lugo Gonzales
Welles Patrick McDevitt*
Greer McDevitt*
Matthew Mitchell
Emily Kate Mosley*
Addison Grace Mouser
Josh Mysore*
Sneha Nadella*
Busra Olmez
Munise Oz
Melisa Ozer
Baxter Perry-Miller
Jaishri Ramesh
Jana Sabri
Harris Sands
Rosemary Sands
Wilson Sands
Ryan Schlimme
Kugu Penelope Scott*
Aaron Seto*
Akshat Shah*
Suheyla Merve Sonkaya
Kishan Srikanth
Lauren Stump*
Thomas Su
Seha Subas
Luke Taylor
Aurora Tong*
Selma Veli
Jaime Wang*
Annie Wang*
Robert Carson Wiles
Jude Lincoln Wilkerson*
Akif Yorulmaz
Derek Zhang