PSLSA Awardees Reflect on Leadership Journeys

This spring, the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities honored more than 70 students with the President's Student Leadership & Service Award (PSLSA) for exceptional leadership and service to the University and surrounding community. Winners were nominated by UMN students, staff, or faculty via an essay describing the student's extraordinary leadership and service as well as their impact on the University. Thirteen international students received the award, and International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is proud to highlight the leadership journeys of two of these students. 

Amelia Liu, an awardee from China, is a junior in management information systems who also works in the Tutoring & Academic Success Center and the Advancement Office. Liu highlighted the China Center’s China Bridge Challenge as her favorite leadership experience. “I led my team to design a platform that supports youth mental health, combining creativity and professionalism to make a real impact.”

For Liu, receiving the PSLSA Award has strengthened her confidence and reminded her of her own value: “I feel motivated to lead with greater ambition and continue building meaningful connections.”

Another PSLSA awardee is Kai-Sin (Doris) Li, a sophomore from Taiwan studying developmental psychology and child psychology. She was also a recipient of the Donald R. Zander Alumni Award for Outstanding Student Leadership – one of five students, and one of three international students, to receive the honor.

As a Global Gopher Leader at ISSS, Li has honed her leadership skills by helping the international student population become more involved in the University community. In particular, she notes her recent experience at ISSS’s Global Leadership: Owning our Why (G.L.O.W.) Retreat, a leadership retreat for undergraduate international students. “I appreciated that the event provides a safe environment for participants to think, to share, and to be heard, [and] I am looking forward to using it as an impressive example to guide me in working on creating a better community.”

For students aspiring to be in leadership or service roles, Li mentions that everyone has the potential to be a leader with their own style. “The road to leadership takes time, and I believe in you all to choose to be one of our amazing leaders.”