The Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes the efforts and accomplishments of NIU's top graduating students. Each year, this award is given to an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois.
NIU department leaders: please review and complete the nomination form.
All NIU faculty are encouraged to put forward excellent nominees for endorsement consideration by their department.
Nomination Information
Nominations are due Monday, March 18, 2024.
You will answer four questions about the nominee in the nomination form.
You are no longer required to provide letters and CV documents for this step of the process; student nominees will be contacted for additional information.
Student Nominee Requirements
Be an NIU rising senior who is graduating in fall 2024, spring 2025 or summer 2025.
Be enrolled as a full-time student through to graduation.
Have a GPA of 3.5 or better at the end of the spring 2023 semester.
Be nominated by a department; multiple units can collaborate to nominate a specific student, which is appropriate if a student has more than one departmental home.
Students: upon being notified of your nomination, please submit a personal statement and résumé by Monday, March 25, 2024.
I always tell myself you can start anywhere. The smallest things you can do now can grow into bigger things. Just take a step at a time. With every accomplishment, every achievement, it showed me I’m capable of anything I put my mind to