Of the many awards and recognitions at the University, few recognize the achievements seniors accomplished over their four years on campus. Senior 100 Honorary, a University of Illinois Alumni Association program, does just that. It’s not too late to join the ranks of alumnus who distinguished themselves inside and outside of the classroom. 

Senior 100 Honorary is an event that congratulates 100 seniors for their commitment to academics, involvement on campus and the impact they made throughout their undergraduate careers. The applications are due by March 14 at 11:59 p.m. and are available on the University of Illinois Alumni Association website. The only prerequisite is a base GPA requirement of 3.0 out of 4.0.

“There are endless opportunities here waiting to be taken advantage of,” said Julia Weiss, vice president of Student Engagement in Student Alumni Ambassadors. “You could go so many ways with this school, and we want to congratulate the seniors who have really capitalized on everything the school has to offer.”

Along with co-directors Joe Ortigara and Hanjoo Moon, Weiss is in charge of organizing the event and contacting faculty and administrators for the judging panel. Once all of the applications and nominations are received, the judges — a wide range of faculty and administrators who change every year — have about three weeks to select the 100 seniors who concisely and proficiently exemplify their diligence over the past four years in their application. 

Faculty and staff can submit nominations that the judges will take into account, but an application without a nomination will not negatively affect the student. After the judges reach their decisions, the student is notified and a reception is held on May 2. 

Though he’s two counties south of Champaign now, Landon Frye, a 2012 Senior 100 honoree, believes receiving the award aided him post-graduation.

“It was an opportunity to solidify some relationships and connections before we graduated that might otherwise have been lost,” he said.

Since his graduation, Frye has worked to solve the financial needs of rural America by providing financing for agricultural businesses and farmers. During his time at the University, he was heavily involved in the College of ACES as well as Student Alumni Ambassadors. Among other achievements, Frye served as the Explore ACES Director and the 2011 President of Student Alumni Ambassadors. Current SAA President Steven Farag can still feel the impact Frye made in the organization.

“He really pushed SAA to a new limit, challenged all of our programs and gave SAA that fire that it needed,” Farag said. “As president now, I can see the result of his work two years ago.”

The influx of applications increased by 200 percent last year, and Weiss plans on improving the competitiveness and increasing the prestige of the award among faculty and staff.  

For those unsure of whether to apply, the former recipient of the award encourages students to take the chance. 

“If you’re genuine about it, and kind of reflect on what you’ve been able to do in four years, I think there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get it,” Frye said. “You don’t want to leave regretting you didn’t do anything at the last part of your time in Illinois.”

Alice can be reached at [email protected].