Outstanding Student Peer Educator
Awards are given to students (undergraduate or graduate) who have demonstrated commitment to addressing student well-being in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Ayushmi Bhuju, Eastern Illinois University: Ayushmi Bhuju brings a rare depth of compassion to student well-being by leading mental health outreach at EIU’s HERC, she works tirelessly to make care accessible and reduce stigma. Ayushmi embodies what it means to be a peer educator and advocate.
Aerin Cockrum, Eastern Illinois University: Aerin Cockrum is a healthcare administration student with a 4.0 GPA who has gone well beyond the classroom to advance student well-being at EIU. Through her role at the Health Education Resource Center, she directly supports public health compliance and outreach on campus working on immunization and TB state needs. Aerin is a tireless advocate for student well-being. With certifications in Narcan, QPR, and peer education, she brings life-saving skills to her campus community. Through her work at the Health Education Resource Center, Eta Sigma Gamma leadership, and organizing EIU’s Navigating Health Symposium, Aerin leads with both heart and action.
Brenna Cronin, Brenna has made a significant impact on student well-being through her leadership, advocacy, and service. As co-founder and President of Student Advocates for Equity (SAFE), she has led the development of impactful, prevention-focused programming that has strengthened awareness and support across campus. Brenna’s leadership is defined by empathy, inclusivity, and intention. She fosters welcoming spaces, uplifts others, and builds strong community within SAFE. Her peers respect and trust her, and her contributions have created lasting change at UMKC. You don’t come across students as dedicated and impactful as Brenna often. Her unwavering commitment to advocacy has made a lasting impact at UMKC and across the Kansas City community.
Olivia Fritz, University of Missouri Kansas-City: As Treasurer of Student Advocates for Equity, Olivia plays an essential behind-the-scenes role that directly contributes to the organization’s success. She takes the lead on navigating complex university processes to secure funding and materials, ensuring programs run smoothly and effectively. Beyond her role, Olivia is consistently present, engaged, and committed to advancing prevention and advocacy efforts on campus. Her reliability, work ethic, and dedication to supporting her peers make her a key leader within the organization and a meaningful contributor to student well-being at UMKC.
Emily Ganira, University of Missouri St. Louis: Emily has been with the Triton Health Educators all four years of her employment. Three of those years she has served as the leader of the peer educator group. She has worked with many campus leaders over the years, and each one will sing her praises. Her fellow students admire her and enjoy having her as their leader. Her nominator noted “I have seen her bring out the best in her team through her leadership and have learned a lot by working with her.”
Lucy Pham, Washington University: Lucy is an exceptional Peer Health Educator who demonstrates outstanding dedication to student well-being through impactful programming and innovative digital outreach. From leading engaging events to creating high-quality educational content, she consistently goes above and beyond, fostering meaningful connections and significantly enhancing campus engagement around alcohol and other drug safety.
Jayden Radtke, Saint Louis University: One of Jayden’s most significant contributions has been her leadership within SLU’s Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program. Jayden independently coordinates the entire program, ensuring that trainings run smoothly and that all logistical needs are met. Her ability to manage complex details with ease makes her an essential partner in this effort. Beyond her formal responsibilities, Jayden is always willing to step in wherever she is needed—whether that means supporting an event at the last minute or taking on tasks that, while not glamorous, are vital to our operations. Jayden brings heart, creativity, and unstoppable energy to everything she does. From wellness events to MHFA coordination, she has strengthened our team in every way. Her positivity lifts us, her ideas inspire us, and her impact will be felt long after she steps into her next great chapter.
Nk’isu Situmbeko, Eastern Illinois University: Nk’isu Situmbeko brings a combination of lived experience, professional depth, and genuine empathy to student well-being work. Having navigated significant personal health challenges during college, Nk’isu transformed adversity into purpose by supporting others through their own transitions. Their experience spans foster care case management, a public health internship with the Zambia National Public Health Institute, and hands-on wellness work through EIU’s HERC Nature Rx Program, helping form the foundations of what the program is today. Their cross-disciplinary background in advocacy, community-building, and wellness programming makes them an exceptionally well-rounded peer educator and advocate for student well-being.
Drawing on personal resilience and experience across foster care, international public health, and campus wellness programs, Nk’isu brings authentic empathy and dedication to supporting EIU students. They are a peer educator in the truest sense of the word.
Aaliyah Solis, University of Missouri: Aaliyah has really stepped up her game this year, as a sophomore who gained her footing in the Well-Being Peers program last year, she has quickly become an invaluable member of the team. She balances her many duties with seemingly no sweat- she is there to help others and an advocate for her fellow students. She is comfortable jumping in to educate and speak up when others might
Aaliyah has taken on leadership and advocacy within the Well-Being Peers program in her sophomore year, and is not afraid to do what it takes to help students across Mizzou’s campus.
Tiffany Ung, Saint Louis University: As an RA, Tiffany has built strong, lasting partnerships across campus, including with the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards, Residence Life, the Counseling Center, and Health and Wellness. She intentionally uses these relationships to bring meaningful experiences to her community that go beyond standard programming. She has a clear ability to recognize gaps in prevention education and respond with programming that feels relevant, thoughtful, and grounded in what students actually need.
Overall, Tiffany stands out as a peer educator who thoughtfully connects her roles, relationships, and academic interests to create programming that is impactful, relevant, and rooted in care for her community.Tiffany builds strong campus partnerships to create meaningful, relevant prevention programming. She led expanded AOD Week initiatives and developed engaging events like Beyond the BOOze that promote safer choices. Through her leadership, creativity, and passion, she consistently makes a lasting impact on her community and peers every day.
Outstanding Campus Program
Awards are given to campuses that have implemented a new or adapted program to address student well-being issues in the 2025-2026 academic year.
SAFE Resource Chat, Student Advocates for Equity at University of Missouri Kansas-City: The SAFE Resource Cart is a student-led, centralized hub providing free health, safety, and well-being supplies and information in an accessible and discreet format. Designed to reduce barriers and promote autonomy, the cart allows students to access resources without needing to seek them out directly from offices or staff. Built through strong campus, community, and national partnerships, this sustainable program reduces barriers, promotes autonomy, and ensures students can more easily access critical resources.
From Numbers to Narrative: The Student Life Data Walk, Maryville University: The Student Life Data Walk at Maryville University is an innovative, high-impact initiative that transforms how data is understood, shared, and applied across the campus community. Designed to move “from numbers to narrative,” the Data Walk creates an interactive, participatory experience where students, faculty, and staff engage directly with key insights related to engagement, academic success, health and well-being, and campus operations.
UMKC Care Team, University of Missouri Kansas-City: The UMKC CARE Team, lead by Keishea Boyd, Robin Hamilton, and Taylor Blackmon along with numerous faculty and staff volunteers work to serve the broad based needs of our diverse student body when life challenges happen. This group works to reach out to our student community when physical health, mental health, financial and basic needs, family and other interpersonal relational concerns, grief/loss, socio-political events, and more impact our student body. The CARE Team proactively reaches out to offer personalized support and resources to students impacted by unexpected events. These efforts not only try to support the student’s academic success but assist to meet the holistic needs of each student in whatever they are dealing with. The Care Team helps to identify practical resources, offering guidance to needed information, and providing the true spirit of the caring ROO community.
Student Compliance and Vikings Care, Jefferson College: This award specifically recognizes the leadership of Kristine Bogue and her team at Jefferson College. Initially as a department of one, through Kristine’s determination, advocacy, commitment, and passion she built a department committed to student mental health, prevention, well-being, and health education. Kristine and her team at Jeffco were one of the first two-year schools to join PIP. Under Kristine’s leadership her department grew in size and in its ability to implement prevention programming on campus with an emphasis on student well-being from the classroom to the Counseling Office to Student Conduct. Kristine’s teams are creative in their approach, and always willing to collaborate and share what they have learned with any new professional or campus needing support. Kristine is the first person to offer support and the last person to ask for anything in return. The Jefferson College Campus is a stronger, safer, more supportive community thanks to her leadership! I can’t think of anyone who deserves recognition more and would ask for it less.
WashU’s Stay in the Green Campaign, Washington University: Stay in the Green is a campus-wide campaign designed to shift campus culture toward safer drinking. The campaign empowers students to proactively set a drinking limit that keeps them at a BAC of 0.06 or lower (what we call staying in the green), to reduce their risk of adverse outcomes. Campaign messaging has been integrated into alcohol safety workshops and student-led tabling, providing an opportunity to have real-time conversations with students about what a good drinking limit could look like for them and correcting the misperception that more alcohol means a better experience. The Stay in the Green campaign makes accessible the means for students to explore a limit that works for them in a lower risk way, works to normalize the practice of setting a limit before drinking, and frames limit setting as a positive strategy to help students retain the vibes, and reduce the risk.
Outstanding Professional Award
Awards are given to professionals (full-time or part-time) who have demonstrated commitment to addressing student well-being in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Melissa Bidinger, Lindenwood University: Melissa’s leadership, passion, and dedication to this work are absolutely the heart of the PIP committee at Lindenwood. Her ability to step up during transitions and challenges is unmatched, and the effects of her work benefit every aspect of Lindenwood’s prevention programming and improves the campus community
Aly Frydman, University of Missouri-Kansas City: Aly Frydman has provided excellent leadership for the UMKC Partners In Prevention Coalition for many years. She helps coordinate the monthly meeting agendas and disseminates summaries of topics discussed and tasks to attend to. She works to be inclusive of all coalition members and valuing the ideas presented and how those suggestions can be put into She has utilized the opportunity participating in PIP to help her grow professionally and personally and added to the dynamic impact she has made at UMKC.
Brianna Holley, Maryville University: Brianna’s dedication to student well-being, her innovative programming, and her leadership in case management have had a transformative impact on the Maryville community over the 2025-2026 academic year. Brianna was hired in 2025 and in this short timeframe, through her tireless efforts, she has created a campus culture that prioritizes wellness, inclusivity, and holistic support for students navigating academic, personal, and life challenges.
Amber Johnson, Missouri S&T: One of Amber’s most impactful contributions is her creation and management of the Morning Cup of Joe podcast. She initiated this project from the ground up and continues to write 99% of all episodes, edit the content, and publish the show herself. Under her leadership, the podcast has grown remarkably and received several distinctions in 2025, including the Rising Star Award, Marathon Show Award, and Most Shared Show Award. The podcast has also achieved international reach, streamed in 18 countries, illustrating Amber’s ability to connect, educate, and inspire a broad and diverse audience.
Megan Jones, University of Missouri: Her nominators wrote: “Megan is a fearless leader who has taken on so many challenges head on. With limited staffing and many hurdles, she’s helped make sure we all come out on the other side of any struggles and supports all of us throughout. Even despite her own challenges this year she has supported us and has still kept the Wellness Resource Center on its feet no matter what has been thrown at us.”
Stephanie Murray-Miller, Missouri S&T: Stephanie Murray-Miller is an exceptional professional whose work has had a meaningful impact on student well-being at Missouri S&T during the 2025–2026 academic year. As Manager of Health Promotion and Prevention within Student Well-Being, Stephanie leads initiatives that address some of the most complex challenges facing college students.
Stephanie serves as chair of the Missouri S&T Prevention Coalition, bringing together campus and community partners to collaboratively address student health concerns. Through this coalition, she helps ensure that prevention work is coordinated, strategic, and grounded in shared responsibility across the university and the Rolla community.Ashley Ricks, East Central College: Ashley Ricks is a Wonder Woman when serving the students of ECC. As a new staff she inherited a campus resource center in-progress she took it and actualized it to a fully functioning center. Ashley takes on every student case as if she were advocating for her own friend or family member. She is resourceful, researches new and creative ways to engage our students and she is intentional with our international students to create a warm and inclusive space. She is always willing to collaborate and lend a helping hand to other her teammates and other departments. In addition to an amazing work ethic she is the most fun, passionate, and thoughtful coworker you could ask for in a teammate.
Katie Wooldridge, Central Methodist College: Katie became director of the counseling center in 2019 and transformed the center through data-driven advocacy and visionary leadership. She doubled clinical capacity, expanded licensed staff, built graduate internship pipelines, secured intern stipends, and helped secure a SAMHSA grant, creating a Wellness Coordinator role that dramatically increased access, awareness, and student well-being across our campus community. Because of Katie’s tireless work, more students are aware of available services, better informed about mental health and wellness, and more effectively connected to critical resources..
Derek Zboran, Missouri S&T: Derek is recognized for his commitment to student well-being and campus collaboration. Through his leadership of Mental Well-Being Awareness Week and peer education initiatives, he brings together campus and community partners to expand mental health awareness, reduce stigma, and connect students with resources that help them thrive academically and personally.
Outstanding Service Award
Awards are given to individuals (students and staff) who have demonstrated commitment to serving their campus community during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Isabelle del Alcazar, University of Missouri: Iz has really stepped up this year, having just joined the Peer program in 2024, she has jumped into leadership with grace. She makes firm but fair decisions and builds teamwork into everything she does for the program.
Iz is a true team player and is dedicated to making the Well-Being Peers program and Mizzou stronger. She serves both her fellow students and helps PIP so much at the same time. The community of Mizzou is safer and healthier because of Iz.
Lesa Barchet, Maryville University: Lesa Barchet is exceptionally deserving of the Outstanding Service Award for her commitment to serving the Maryville community through operational excellence, reliability, and a deeply student-centered approach. In her role as Manager of Operations & Compliance, Lesa ensures that the systems, processes, and policies supporting Student Health and Counseling Services function seamlessly – directly impacting the quality and accessibility of care for students.
Throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, Lesa has demonstrated an unmatched dedication to service by consistently going above and beyond to support both students and colleagues. Most notably, her leadership has resulted in the university achieving 99% immunization compliance – the highest rate since 2020 – a significant accomplishment that reflects her diligence, coordination, and commitment to student health and safety.Celeste Michael, University of Missouri Kansas-City: Celeste has demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment to the UMKC community through her involvement across numerous campus roles, including Student Involvement, Residential Life, Admissions, and the RISE Office, where she co-founded SAFE. Now serving as a Graduate Assistant in Student Support Services, she consistently goes above and beyond to support students and foster a more inclusive, connected campus environment.
Celeste is known for the way she shows up for her peers—with care, consistency, and authenticity. She regularly goes out of her way to create welcoming spaces, build genuine connections, and ensure students feel supported and connected to resources, making a lasting impact on the UMKC community.Celeste has made a lasting impact on the UMKC community through her leadership and advocacy. As a Graduate Assistant, she created the Liberatory Futures Advocacy Series and consistently supports her peers by fostering inclusive spaces, uplifting diverse voices, and connecting students to essential resources.
Chad Whittom, Truman State University: Assistant Chief Chad Whittom exemplifies outstanding service through his leadership with the Truman State University PIP group and the NEMO DFC coalition. He works closely with student organizations to promote safety and provide education on mental health and substance use, advancing polysubstance prevention and public safety across campus and community settings.