‘Empower to Elevate’ recognizes Columbus State leaders

Student News | Monday, April 13, 2026

Above: The Columbus State Student Ambassadors after being awarded the Team Recognition Award at the 2026 Leadership Awards event on April 9 in Mitchell Hall.

By Gillian Desormeaux,
Columbus State student (Graduating in December 2026 with an Associate of Arts in Communication)

“Empower to Elevate” was the theme of this year’s annual Columbus State Community College Leadership Awards for faculty, staff, and students. That theme reflects the role of leadership in serving others.

In his opening remarks, President Harrison emphasized the power of succeeding as a community and how lifting one another up creates an opportunity for us to grow as individuals. 

In times of uncertainty, there is reassurance in being a member of a community that continues to hope, to strive toward its goals, and continues to show up for one another every day. As I looked around the Mitchell Hall Event Center, I found comfort in the room chock-full of our campus community members who took time out of their day to celebrate each other.

When an opportunity arose to create a new Columbus State tradition highlighting campus leaders, Cerelia Bizzell and her team at the office of Student Engagement and Belonging worked alongside Service Learning Leadership Awards committee chairs Jacqueline Lovelace and Katherine Hammond, and Career Services to spearhead the first Leadership Awards Ceremony in the spring of 2025. 

“Leadership is fluid,” Bizzell noted. “It reshapes and remodels per body, energy, and community. There is no one-size-fits-all, and thus, as leaders, we collect small lessons, tokens of advice, or witness something we admire and mold it to fit what we need for our lives.”

“Leadership” is a word students hear often. We are regularly reminded that we are all learning the skills to become the leaders of tomorrow. However, leadership is a broad term that can mean different things to different people. Bizzell defines leadership as “an act of serving and transforming those I serve so that they, in turn, can give it back to others.” In other words, it is a leader’s job to pay it forward.

As for aspiring student leaders, Bizzell offers words of advice: “Learn all you can and make that lesson your own. When you are learning more about your leadership styles, your voice, preferences, anything you come in contact with that can or will help reframe your thought process, lean into it. Take that challenging lesson and turn it into something that helps you step forward and change the community or the circumstances of someone [else]. There is no true definition of leadership. You are a leader without someone labeling it aloud. Continue to grow, find the goodness in everything you encounter, and make it an uplifting experience for you and others. Be empowered to make a difference and to stay authentic. You are already transforming the moment around you, and your success will be rewarded at the end. Keep going!”

Bizzell says that success rarely occurs all on our own. Instead, it takes a village. “Recognize the many great leaders who celebrated with their teams or peers, helped keep their heads up, and worked side by side to turn visions into reality. Lean on your community members to stay inspired and avoid burnout. Leadership can be tiring if you do not recharge or have those who can give you fuel. Be vulnerable and lean on Columbus State leaders and community members to help shape your future. We are here to support your journey and help you achieve your vision of success.”

Bizzell hopes those who were able to attend the celebration this year walk away feeling empowered to discover their own strength as leaders, as well as their ability to be agents of change in our community. She also hopes attendees were able to recognize their own role in our college’s collective success. Though exact numbers were not available at the time this article was published, over 160 people registered to attend the 2026 Leadership Awards Ceremony, and it was a full house. 

Award winners
A key component of the annual Leadership Awards ceremony is the announcement of the winners of the Dr. Jan Rogers Legacy in Leadership Scholarship, which Rogers personally presents. This scholarship is awarded to two students every year who exemplify leadership on and off campus through service and advocating for others. This year, the scholarship went to Charles Acheampong, a Cybersecurity & IT Student, and Lisa Ludaway, who is enrolled in the Respiratory Care Program. 

For the category of “Elevated Leaders of the Year,” there were five recipients: Alexandra Bradley, assistant director of Admissions; Hannah Groah, manager of Marketing and Communications; Jason Lamar, director of Digital Education and Instructional Services; Susan Kaiser, coordinator for Biological & Physical Sciences; and Lynn McNish, Academic Success Lead.

Three student clubs received awards. Student Club Advisor of the Year was presented to Duane Donaldson, who serves as Advisor to the Business Community. Student Club Officer of the Year went to Emma Jirathearanat, Officer of the Pre-Med Club. Student Club of the Year was awarded to The Film Enthusiasts Club. Leaders Viv Rodriguez and Dylan Ludwig accepted on behalf of the club.

Additionally, there were three student employee award categories, each with one winner. Shy Chowdhury, Academic Success Coordinator of Peer Learning in the Tutoring department, received the Student Employment Supervisor of the Year award. Tolulope Ogundele, Peer Learning Success Leader, was awarded Student Employee of the Year. Student Ambassador Coordinator May Myo was voted Student Ambassador of the Year. To complement these awards, the Student Ambassadors of Student Engagement and Belonging were recognized as an Impactful Student Employment Team. 

Finally, the Service-Learning Leadership Award was given to Heather Thompson-Gillis, an English professor and member of the Service Learning Committee.

Go to 2026 Archive Go to Campus Insider