2019 Love Purple Live Gold Awards Ceremony Recognizes Outstanding Students

05/06/2019
BATON ROUGE – LSU Campus Life, a department within the Office of the Dean of Students, celebrated outstanding leaders, advisors and student organizations at the Love Purple Live Gold Awards on Monday, April 1. Out of 174 nominees, 16 awards were given out to outstanding student leaders for their outstanding efforts during the 2018-19 school year.

2019 Love Purple Live Gold Awards individual recipients include:

Agent of Change Award: Emily Cannon, junior, sociology, Metairie, La. Cannon is described as someone that brings compassion and awareness to social issues within the local community while advocating for the voiceless. Cannon is active in teaching members of her organization about poverty and homelessness locally that can be managed and prevented by attainable housing accommodations.

Emerging Leader Award: Joshua Thomas Campesi, freshman, sociology: criminology, Baton Rouge, La. Campesi is described as a hard-working individual, and is a first-year student that is passionate in serving his community. Campesi is involved in several registered student organizations and manages his time well. He is always looking for the next opportunity to serve and lead others.

Legacy Award: Raven Frost Creech, senior, political science, Mandeville, La. Creech served as multiple committee chairs and secretary before being elected as president. The changes Creech made have established a legacy for future presidents and have led her organization down the road to success.

Unsung Hero Award: Peter Pham, junior, mechanical engineering, Baton Rouge, La. A fresh face in the organization who quietly yet consistently puts forth intentional effort in all that they do. Pham creates a hospitable environment for students and encourages diversity on campus.

Advisor of the Year Award: Adrienne Steele, advisor to Society of Peer Mentors, assistant director, Chevron Center for Engineering Education. Because of Steele’s dedication, this student organization yields a graduation rate of 90% among members. Steele has demonstrated professionalism, leadership, graciousness and patience in her advising role.

Graduate Student of the Year Award: Franklin Bonilla, Ph.D. student, nutrition and food sciences, Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras. Bonilla is a leader who is organized, enthusiastic and resourceful. The impact that he has made in his organization and surrounding community serves as an inspiration for LSU students.

Undergraduate Student Leader of the Year Award: Colt Hardee, sophomore, agribusiness, Kaplan, La. Hardee is a selfless leader whose passion for Cajun culture has led him to creating the Cajun Club this semester. This student has made a positive impact on the LSU community through his committed leadership on campus.

2019 Love Purple Live Gold Awards organizational recipients include:

Commitment to Community Award: Society of Peer Mentors. A multidisciplinary organization, which strives to make a positive impact in our society through mentorship and community interaction. As an organization with more than 180 active members, they are a constant driving force not only to better themselves but the community as well.

Academic/Educational Program: Dairy Science Club. The Dairy Science Club identified a disconnect between inner-city students and the food that nourishes them daily and made it their mission to educate at Farm Day. This event brings more than 1,500 students from across the Greater Baton Rouge area to the LSU AgCenter and allows them to interact with livestock and learn about food production.

Advocacy Program: Spectrum. This organization hosted the Louisiana Queer Conference, or LAQC, in 2019. This conference provides leadership development, networking opportunities and social support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) college students and their allies in Louisiana. The conference provides a space to discuss ideas and collaborate on projects, while building a statewide network to advance the LGBTQ+ movement.

Collaborative Program Award: Asian American Ambassadors, Indian Student Association, Korean Student Association, Chinese Student and Scholars Association and Vietnamese Student Association. These organizations hosted the Street Food Night, which aimed to introduce the LSU community to different Asian cuisine, more specifically, foods that are sold by vendors in a public space, or street food, which is very common in many Asian countries. The organizations felt that they could educate students about their culture by using food from their countries, and collaborated to host this unique experience.

Multi-Cultural/Diversity Program Award: International Student Association. International Fusion is an annual event hosted by the International Student Association. The aim of the event is to bring forth multiple cultures that the LSU international community represents and to celebrate their beauty in a safe and encouraging space. This event involves international scholarships, multicultural exhibition and diverse performances in the LSU Union Theater followed by an international feast.

Service/Volunteer Program: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. This organization aims to help others, promote brotherhood and develop character in its members. Through their Social Service Program, ATO members have lent a helping hand to people in need of assistance. ATO has accumulated 2,950 service hours over the past year while collaborating with fellow Greek organizations to support their philanthropy events.

Social Program: Tabletop Games Club. This organization has addressed the need for an alcohol and drug free environment for LSU students with its weekly game night program. Many members have reported that they have met friends for life through the club with people of differing backgrounds, identities and beliefs.

New Student Organization: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. ATO members are involved in a diverse set of initiatives and LSU organizations, such as Student Government, LSU Ambassadors, Dance Marathon and the Ogden Honors College. LSU ATO excels academically, consistently ranking in the top two LSU Greek Life GPAs as well as consistently giving back to the community with nearly 4,000 total service hours.

Student Organization of the Year: Agribusiness Club. The Agribusiness Club is a professional social organization devoted to building leaders that contribute to society. This organization serves the community by participating in a variety of events such as food drives, campus clean ups, volunteering at local food banks and assisting with agriculture department events.

The 10 recipients for this year’s Tom W. Dutton award have shown a remarkable commitment to their community and have inspired students to lead a life of passion, service and dedication. These students were recognized for their impacts on LSU and service to the community in January 2019, and honored during the 2019 Love Purple Live Gold event.

The Tom W. Dutton Scholarship was awarded to the following students:

Rachel Campbell, senior, political communications, Mandeville, La.
Emily Cannon, junior, sociology, Metairie, La.
Kendall Cole, a Ph.D. candidate, oceanography and coastal sciences, Plymouth, Minn.
Tabitha Kearns, senior, biological sciences, Thibodaux, La.
Hailey Teachout, senior, biological sciences, Mandeville, La.
Stephanie Casnave, senior, kinesiology and human movement sciences, Augusta, Ga.
Neepa Kuruppu, graduate student, chemistry, Kirama, Sri Lanka
Madison Liggio, senior, early childhood education, Mandeville, La.
Allison Sommers, senior, agriculture and extension education, Baton Rouge, La.
Shelby Waddell, junior, elementary education dual certification grades 1-5: mild/moderate special education and general education, Zachary, La.

LSU Campus Life supports and advises seven student organizations that uphold the three tenets of Involvement, Leadership and Service. Those organizations include Geaux BIG Baton Rouge, Homecoming Committee, Involvement Krewe, Kitchens on the Geaux, Service Breaks, Student Activities Board, and Volunteer LSU. LSU Campus Life also works closely with the 400+ student organizations and countless individuals daily to make LSU an increasingly vibrant campus community. Since Aug. 1, Campus Life has approved more than 3,599 student-led events. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/campuslife.

Contact Alison Paz
LSU Campus Life
225-578-5955
apaz6@lsu.edu

Ernie Ballard
LSU Media Relations
225-578-5685
eballa1@lsu.edu