On April 23, 2026, in UCC Techflex, the Student Government Association (SGA) hosted its annual Student Leader Appreciation Banquet (SLAB) to honor the hard work/dedication of student leaders who help make a more personal and connected campus community. The event featured three speeches from Jeylan Jurban, President of SGA; Samuel Strassburger, Vice President of Operations; and Danielle Eisenberg, Associate Director of Student Life. Jurban reflected on the unseen effort student leaders put into their organizations, noting, “You pour yourself into your club, your org, your event, your people — and most of the time, nobody sees it.” Throughout the evening, she made it a priority to check in with student leaders, listening to their experiences and concerns to better support them. She also emphasized the lasting impact of the student leader’s work, saying, “You are the reason this campus has the culture it has. The traditions, the energy, the community people will still be talking about ten years from now.”
Strassburger served as the master of ceremonies for the night and introduced Danielle Eisenberg, Associate Director of Student Life. Eisenberg’s speech started with the reality of student leadership, and that it comes with “inherent challenges and opportunities for professional growth, such as conflict management between members of your organization, learning systems, and policies that can feel confusing, the space you wanted for an event already being booked, and retaining strong membership.” She also addressed more current pressures students must navigate today like “challenges with the state of higher education, challenges within our country’s policies and politics, and challenges navigating the rapidly growing use of AI and its impact on almost everything we do.” Along with addressing current issues students must address or work through, she acknowledged the everyday responsibilities of a student leader. Though some of the tasks may seem menial, the impact they make in creating the personality and different communities for students on campus is significant.
Building on this recognition of student leadership, these student leaders are appreciated not only through SLAB but also through the list of awards with nominees on screen, alternating between nominees for the Civic Engagement Award, Rising Leader Award, Social Justice Advocate, Stevens Pride Award, Student Leader of the Year Award, and Woman of Distinction.
The list of Nominees included:
The Civic Engagement Award
Adelina Logozzo, Aidan Robinson, Anna Dabrowski, Breona Pizzuta, Christopher Alessandri, Meghan Zarish-Yasunas, Michael Moschello, Rimmo Loyi Lego, Sarah Peneiras, and Victoria Okonkwo.
The Rising Leader Award
Alessandro Chavez, Anna Sauchelli, Benjamin Good, Christina Chen, Christopher Thelisme, Isabella Lee, Jasraj Baweja, Justin Safner, Khadijatu Dabo, Lillie Miller, Lindsey Thompson, Noah Wachtel, and Yang Yi Zheng.
Social Justice Advocate Award
August Rose, Shahd Ibrahim, and Tanishka Kapoor.
Stevens Pride Award
Breona Pizzuta, Chris Longo, Christia Napoleon, Cooper Poggioli, Dalia Abbad, and Xiangxi Wang.
Student Leader of the Year Award
Abigail Thomas, Alexandria Switaj, Breona Pizzuta, Evan Papageorge, Jeylan Jubran, Khadijatu Dabo, Maeryn Erdheim, Max Green, Meghan Zarish-Yasunas, Noor Kanaan, Ryan Manley, Samuel Strassburger, Shrikar Swami, and Sukira Ali.
Woman of Distinction Award
Aliona Heitz, Breona Pizzuta, Colleen Ginsberg, Dalia Abbad, Elizabeth Halton, Gabrielle Moroney, Georgina Fields, Khadijatu Dabo, Maeryn Erdheim, Meghan Zarish-Yasunas, and Mollie Good.
The winners of these awards will be announced at the Undergraduate Student Awards Ceremony on April 28, 2026.
There were four student leaders in particular who were responsible for planning and organizing this amazing event: Maya Ponce, Vice President of Communications of SGA; Christopher Thelisme, Assistant Vice President of Communications of SGA; Autumn Gallicchio, Assistant Vice President of Operations for SGA; and Sam Strassburger, Vice President of Operations.
The Operations team of SGA had mostly first years, including Chris Thelisme, Autumn Gallicchio, and Maya Ponce, who were planning this event for the first time, taking as much inspiration from last year and improving on it despite not being there. Gallicchio, as the newly appointed Assistant Vice President of Operations, took the lead in organizing the seating chart, ordering decor, and developing a vision for the event. This team worked closely with the Office of Student Life to bring the event to life and did so efficiently.
Student leaders at this event took photos, had dinner, and enjoyed the night, including time with student photographers. The evening was made possible due to the planning and execution behind the scenes for this event and the people who brought it to life. This was a night to celebrate a year of hard work, along with all the unseen efforts and challenges student leaders face on a daily basis, and the recognition that comes from continuing to show up and lead even when it is not always appreciated.
