Vuchic Honored by Lincoln Academy
Northwestern University senior Maya Alexandra Vuchic, a student in the School of Education and Social Policy, has been named a Student Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois for her work in community and civic engagement.
Vuchic, who is majoring in human development in context and sociology, described the honor as “a springboard toward more work in the realm of social justice.”
As one of 49 Student Laureates from Illinois’ four-year degree-granting colleges, Vuchic received the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, the Lincoln Medallion, a challenge coin, and a $1,000 check from the Lincoln Academy. She was nominated by the Leadership Development and Community Engagement department in Northwestern’s Student Affairs office.
“Lincoln’s belief that all people are united by a common humanity is something I have held and will continue to hold close to heart through all work I do alongside and in service to others,” Vuchic said in her personal statement. “The privileges I hold—being able to lead my peers at Northwestern and participate in my communities—put me in a position to, like Lincoln, bring the values of equity and justice to all the work I do.”
While at the School of Education and Social Policy, Vuchic worked as a talent development intern with KIPP DC, where she helped create training materials for employees. She also interned with the Connected Insights team at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, conducting surveys and analyzing data from teachers using the company’s curriculum.
In addition to her internships, Vuchic serves as an undergraduate fellow at Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement, a student events supervisor at the Norris Center, and a volunteer with Books and Breakfast.
“SESP is remarkable in how humanizing a space it is,” she said. “Many other schools claim to focus on the ‘whole student,’ but SESP sees each student as a person first, looking at each of us as people who have whole lives—academic, extracurricular, social—which bring unique experiences to the space.”
She added, “As Lincoln noticed all those years ago, bringing people together in an environment of tolerance and respect is the only way we can move society forward. SESP, with its overwhelming sense of community and critical hope, is exemplary of those ideas.”
SESP Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureates:
- Maya Alexandra Vuchic, 2024
- Lily Ng, 2023
- Aida Zeleke, 2022
- Claire Koster, 2021
- Lillian Guo, 2019
- Imani Wilson, 2017
- Lauren Parnell, 2006
- Jamie Howe, 2004
- Peter J.J. Anderson, 1999
- Patrick Day, 1991
- Douglas Schacke, 1988
- Kristen Miiler, 1986