How 4 exceptional spring grads made their mark at UIC

A champion for student issues, a Native American community leader, an Army veteran who revived the UIC Running Club and an advocate for students on the Board of Trustees are four of the more than 6,000 UIC students who graduated in commencement ceremonies May 6-9.

Margarita Arango, Emily Manzo, Yonik Perez and Quinn Basta graduated with different degrees — public policy, urban education and finance — but they share an exceptional leadership they’ve shown during their time at UIC. Read their stories in the links, and follow Basta on commencement day in the video below.

Yonik Perez: Finding ways to help others succeed
In addition to rebuilding the Running Club, Perez was a leader for other finance students like himself. As CEO of the student Investment Banking Association, he helped other students get technical training and network with professionals and recruiters, all in preparation for careers in investment banking. And as vice president of the Graduate Student Advisory Board, he represented students and their needs to UIC administration. All this after an Army service that took him to Iraq, Kuwait, Belize and Rwanda.

Margarita Arango: Turning academic excellence into public impact
Arango jumped in to lead at UIC, too. As president of the Student Advocacy Coalition, she helped UIC students meet with legislators in Springfield and Washington, D.C., to advocate for issues like research funding. She interned for Illinois Rep. David Vella and encouraged civic engagement on campus through her work with the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement.

Emily Manzo: Leading with purpose and vision
In her years at UIC, Manzo brought together the Native American community through her leadership in the Native American Support Program, including leading the charge to restart the annual campus powwow. Manzo was named the Volunteer of the Year by the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative for lobbying with state legislators, volunteering at center events and dancing at other local powwows. She’s not done with UIC yet, though — Manzo plans to return to earn her PhD in math and science curriculum and instruction.

Quinn Basta: Helping students prepare for the professional world
Leadership has been at the center of this finance graduate’s college experience. He served as the student trustee on the University of Illinois System Board of Trustees, president of the Business Student Advisory Board and chief of staff for the Undergraduate Student Government. Chief among his accomplishments: growing the Portfolio Management Team, a student organization that teaches professionalism and the fundamentals of stock market investing by using virtual “paper funds.” Follow him on commencement day as he takes the stage and see his full speech in the link on YouTube.