ISSS's Marina Uehara receives 2025 President's Award for Outstanding Service

Marina Uehara, director for student engagement at International Student and Scholar Services, was one of 12 recipients of the 2025 President's Award for Outstanding Service. 

The award was established in 1997 to recognize faculty and staff who have provided exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units.

Marina Uehara is an outstanding advocate, ally, mentor, and leader who has gone well above and beyond welcoming international students to the University. She created the Global Gopher Caucus for sponsored students, which involves welcome sessions, and tailored new student communications, information sessions, and activities to address specific needs for these students. She also leads the broader Global Gopher Experiences for new international students. Uehara intently listens to students, so when she collaborates with campus partners she can adapt services to better serve international students. One example of her collaboration that contributed to a positive impact for international students is when she worked with Metro Transit to get free passes for these students and scholars, a service she initiated that resulted in about 2,300 rides taken between August 15th to the 31st in 2024. As for the impact of her service on her colleagues, her nominator wrote, “My work would not be possible without Marina’s commitment to student development and engagement. She is an incredible, reliable, thoughtful student services professional who always puts students first.”

Read more about the other 11 recipients.