John W. Price for Volunteer Service to International Understanding

Kristina Serrano is a Senior at the University of Illinois majoring in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Diversity, and a minor in Sociology. As a peer educator with the McKinley Health Center, she has touched the lives of many students on campus, and as a student leader at the University YMCA serving as the President of I-Cause (Illinois Coalition of Assissting Undocumented Students Education), she has led a dynamic coalition in advancing equity in postsecondary education for all students regardless of documentation status.

This past fall Kristina helped to organize and lead an educational and advocacy trip for students to Washington, D.C. The purpose was to learn more about and draw lawmakers’ attention to pathways to employment for those with undocumented or uncertain immigration statuses. With only a few weeks' notice, Kristina was able to organize dozens of her peers to join others from around the country in the Capitol. At the same time, she ensured I-Cause kept focus on its ongoing, robust advocacy, education, and supportive programming on campus for undocumented and DACAmented students, including its successful efforts to raise and make critical financial awards to students through the I-Hope Scholarship. 

As a leader in efforts like these and others, she has been able to foster dialogue and action that increase international understanding by centering the voices, needs and promise of students whose immigration status might otherwise serve as a barrier to their educational and professional dreams. Her leadership and service work in support of foreign-born and other students at the University of Illinois has been exemplary.