UIC cultural centers’ staff members celebrated with several awards

Leigh Hellman, Office of Diversity, Equity and Engagement | Posted on December 15, 2024
The photo features four people standing in front of an elevated stage. In the background on the stage is a large sign that says “UIC AWARDS” in all capital letters and is illuminated in gold with light bulbs inside of the letters. Behind the sign, the stage curtains are lit up with soft shades of alternating blue and red. Two of the people stand on the left side of the sign and two of the people stand on the right side, framing the sign between them.
Left to right: Alyson Kung, assistant director for education and outreach at the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC); Rosa Cabrera, PhD, executive director of the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC); Zeina Zaatari, PhD, director of the Arab American Cultural Center (ArabAmCC); Charu Thakral, PhD, interim vice chancellor for equity and diversity

Four UIC Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) staff members were recent recipients of various annual campus-wide awards, acknowledging the dedication, intensive work and passion that goes into building, maintaining and growing these spaces.

The awardees were:

  • Rosa Cabrera, PhD, executive director of the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC), recipient of the UIC Award of Merit
  • Zeina Zaatari, PhD, director of the Arab American Cultural Center (ArabAmCC), recipient of the UIC Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) Award
  • Alyson Kung, assistant director for education and outreach at the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC), recipient of the UIC Janice Watkins Award

Additionally, Zaatari received the 2024 Middle East Section (MES) Distinguished Service Award from the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and Moisés Villada, associate director of the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC), received the 2024 Brian Goodman Shooting Star Award from About Face Theatre Collective.

“It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see our directors receive recognition for the valuable work they do as part of the UIC community in their efforts to support students, staff and faculty,” shared Charu Thakral, PhD, interim vice chancellor for equity and diversity at UIC. “Their contributions towards areas of programming, teaching, research/scholarship and socialchange are truly a unique set of skills for most staff to have within any role and/or position serving students on college campuses. So in this way, the awards are also a vehicle to highlight the expertise of many of our center directors and staff have who serve as first responders to support our campus community during times of crises.”

The UIC awardees were honored at the Employee Recognition Award Ceremony held on November 7 at the Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum.