Outstanding Student Life Awards

The Outstanding Leadership Award recognizes integrity, leadership and teamwork exhibited by individual FIU students. Strong nominations will highlight the student’s commitment to and leadership in co-curricular campus involvement in the following categories:

• Freshman Leader of the Year Award (less than 30 credits)
• Sophomore Leader of the Year Award (30-59 credits)
• Junior Leader of the Year Award (60-89 credits)
• Senior Leader of the Year Award (90 credits and above)
• Graduate Student Leader of the Year Award

In addition to demonstrating leadership in the university community, eligibility will be based on the number of credit hours completed at the time of the nomination. All nominees for the category “Senior” must be eligible for graduation within the year of the award.

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes the commitment of time and service to others by a student and/or organization/group. Strong nominations should speak to the impact and outcomes of the service and when applicable, how these achievements have impacted the nominee’s contributions toward promoting active citizenship.

The Outstanding Spirit Award honors one student and/or organization/group that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting campus spirit, pride, and loyalty to FIU. Strong nominations will provide examples of Panther pride and, when applicable, information related to the impact this has had on their peers and FIU.

The Outstanding Innovation Award recognizes one student and/or organization/group that has created a new campus tradition, innovative programming idea or shown exceptional commitment to supporting a campus tradition and/or increasing the university’s prestige. Strong nominations will also elaborate on the impact made by the student or organization on campus through the program, tradition or other new idea.

The Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership through academic achievement and/or research. Strong nominations will share the significance of the academic achievements and/or research conducted by the student. When applicable, nominators will share information related to the potential implications of the student’s findings.

The Presidential Award recognizes one student who has significantly impacted the FIU community. Strong candidates will have shown continuous dedication and action to enhance life on campus and university prestige. The recipient of the Presidential Award will be selected from all nominees, so you need to nominate them for any of the other award categories for them to be considered.

• Have demonstrated leadership in the university community that enhances life on campus in either virtual or in-person environments.
• Must be enrolled at FIU during the semester of the awards ceremony.
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.
• Must be in good conduct standing with the university.
• Required to complete the Nominee Form, which is sent by email when a nomination is submitted.
  • Check your junk and/or spam mail for this message. It will be from FIU Student Life Awards <SLA@fiu.edu>.
  • Called a "Letter of Recommendation" by the system.
  • Must upload resume (.pdf), headshot (.jpeg), and a video submission sharing a quick description of what the nomination means to you and/or the organization.
  • If you receive multiple nominations, you will need to complete the Nominee Form multiple times.

Nominators must complete the online nomination form:

• Create a profile when first logging into the system. (This will auto-populate some of the form.)
• The questions generated depend on the category selected.
• Nominators will be asked to complete the questions provided within the form OR provide a letter of support in PDF form stating the award category and examples that indicate the strength of the student’s candidacy, and whenever applicable, the impact the student has had through co-curricular involvement.
• Track the nominations you submit through this system:
  • Provide an email address for the student, who will receive a request to fill out a Nominee Form. The nomination is NOT valid until this Nominee Form is also filled out.
  • See if the student submitted their Nominee Form (note: called a "Pending Letter of Recommendation" by the system). If they have not, you can resend it to them.
  • After the student submits their Nominee Form, you will receive an email indicating your nomination is complete.

Below you will find additional resources to assist nominators with nomination letters and nominees to create or update resumes. 

Nomination Letter(s) Guideline: Letter of Recommendation Guideline

Resume Guidelines and Resources:

• Resume Action Words
• Resume and Cover Letter Writing
• Resume Example with Breakdown
• Resume example with Qualifications
• Step by Step Resume Writing Breakdown
• What NOT to put on Resume

Resources were created by FIU's Career and Talent Development and from the Office of Pre-Health Professions Advising.