Three Graduating Students Receive University Awards

Harris Public Policy students Dora Gonzalez and Elliot Karl, both MPP Class of 2020, and Beth Karp, JD/MPP Class of 2020 were among those receiving Student Leader Awards & Community Impact Awards from the University of Chicago Leads in honor of their outstanding contributions to the campus community.  

"It was exciting—but not surprising—to learn that these three rising leaders have been recognized in this way,” said Brandon Kurzweg, Assistant Dean of Students, Student Life. “The ways Dora, Elliot, and Beth choose to live their lives reflect their commitment to advancing progress and making a tangible impact both on campus and beyond, often towards fostering greater inclusion and social justice.”

Dora Gonzalez, who has served as the 2019-2020 President of Harris Student Government, received the Campus Life and Leadership Award, awarded by the University of Chicago. Her advocacy has led to programs such as the Harris Partner and Family Support Group, and Community Wall, which provides students a way to share news and celebrate one another. She has provided ongoing support to the Harris Food Share program and advocated for free amenities to be provided to all students such as professional headshots, and smaller things like a stocked student coffee machine, snacks during midterms, tissues, and hand-sanitizer. Her commitment to the Harris student body has helped individuals in ways that reflect her belief that Harris only works when you see it as a family where everyone has a vital role to help, encourage, support, and care for one another. Gonzalez feels particularly proud of her efforts to ensure that pregnant students have the flexibility they need to keep up with coursework during their pregnancy and beyond.

Beth Karp, who attends the University of Chicago School of Law as well as Harris, received the RISE Up award, celebrating her work to make the University more welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities. This work includes service on the Student Accessibility Advisory Board, as well as the creation of Disability Rights, Advocacy, and Community (DRAC), a student organization at the law school. The principles of RISE are Reflect, Intervene, Speak, and Engage, which Karp has applied through her actions to make the University of Chicago more inclusive. Currently, she is focused on strengthening the university’s alumni network so it can better help students who need disability-specific career advice.  She is also spearheading a set of proposals by the Accessibility Student Advisory Board to improve the university’s accessibility guidelines and resources.

Elliot Karl received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes students for their voluntary community service extending beyond the boundaries of the university and that has a significant impact on the greater community. His work for the student organization Harris Community Action (HCA), which boasts more than 50 members, signifies his commitment to service. Karl has worked to create opportunities that allow students to participate in meaningful and sustainable voluntary service work that is compatible with a Harris workload. He arrived at Harris after years of community organizing in Oakland.  That experience strengthened the ethos of participation that he has more recently brought to his work with United Working Families, which seeks to elect progressive leaders to local office.