Skip to main content
Carnegie Mellon University
Student Affairs  ›  Student Leadership, Involvement, and Civic Engagement  ›  Traditions & Programs  ›  Rising Star Awards

The Jennifer Hightower Rising Star Awards

The Jennifer Hightower Rising Star Awards recognize undergraduate and graduate students who exhibit outstanding potential as campus and/or community leaders and who have demonstrated a commitment to leadership through student organization membership.

Two Rising Star Awards will be given out annually during the spring semester:

  • One to a first-year or sophomore undergraduate student;
  • One to a graduate student in the first two years of their program and who will not be graduating during the December nomination period.

Each awardee will receive a $500 award, a certificate marking their achievement, and have their name displayed on the student leadership wall in the Cohon University Center.

The awardees will be selected based on their outstanding potential as campus and/or community leaders and demonstrated commitment to leadership through student organization membership, including, but not limited to:

●     Student government-recognized student organizations

●     College or departmentally-recognized student organizations

●     Student Government

●     Fraternity and Sorority Life chapters

●     Athletic teams (club or varsity)

●     Governing and advisory councils

●     Campus traditions

●     Community engagement

Additional requirements:

●     Awardees will have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

●     Awardees will currently be completing a full- or part-time program on the Pittsburgh campus.

Potential awardees will be nominated by a faculty/staff member or via self-nomination. Students who have been nominated for the award will be given the opportunity to submit additional materials in support of their nomination. Students who have self-nominated will be given the opportunity to request positive faculty/staff references in support of their application.

Nominations

Nomination forms will reopen in January 2026.

News

2025 Award Recipients

Nayesha Gandotra

Graduate Student Recipient

Headshot of recipient

Aziza Norkulova

Undergraduate Student Recipient

Headshot of recipient
Jennifer Hightower

About the Jennifer Hightower Award and Endowment

This award was made possible by the many generous donors who supported The Jennifer Hightower Rising Star Award Endowed Fund. This fund was established in December 2020 and fully endowed in 2023 to support a student award named in honor of the late Jennifer Hightower, former dean of Student Affairs at Carnegie Mellon University. In her many years at CMU, Jennifer Hightower was known for her strong student advocacy, her accessibility, her proactive approach to improving the student experience, and her endearing sense of humor. The Office of Community Engagement and Leadership Development serves as the home and steward of this fund and its associated Jennifer Hightower Rising Star Award.