Senior Eliza Smith (pictured here with Brian Coughlin, Associate Director for Student Development) received the Rev. A. Leonard Collins, C.S.C. Award at last night's Student Leadership Awards Banquet. The Collins Award is given annually to a senior who has made substantial personal efforts to advance the interest of students at the University of Notre Dame.
In the spring of 2021, Eliza co-authored a senate resolution for the University to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She built a coalition of senators to craft and help pass the resolution. In mid-December of 2022, Eliza, in her role as Director for Race and Ethnicity in the Student Government Executive Board, created an event titled, “Celebrating Black Excellence” as part of the annual Walk the Walk Week.