Lincoln Academy honors Illinois university students

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois has named the 2026 Student Laureates from the University of Illinois Springfield and the University of Illinois Chicago. The prestigious award is presented annually to one senior from each four-year university in Illinois who demonstrates leadership and a commitment to social change.

Ameilia Hopkins, a diplomacy and international relations major at UIS, was selected for the honor. Hopkins has served as a Rotary Youth Ambassador in Germany, working with Syrian and Ukrainian refugees, and currently serves as a government relations fellow within the University of Illinois System.

Arseny Acosta Nuñez, a political science and criminology student at UIC, was also named a laureate. Acosta gained international recognition after presenting research on systemic disinvestment and redlining in Chicago neighborhoods to a United Nations committee in Geneva, Switzerland.