Alumni Awards: Bridge-builder Brittany Caine-Conley MDiv ’14聽selected for Outstanding Young Alum Award

This is the third and final profile about the recipients of 黑料正能量鈥檚 2025 Alumni Awards. For more information about the annual awards and a full list of past winners, visit聽emu.edu/alumni/awards. ... read more about Alumni Awards: Bridge-builder Brittany Caine-Conley MDiv ’14聽selected for Outstanding Young Alum Award

Ishtiaq Khan MA '24 (conflict transformation), a refugee resettlement caseworker and restorative justice practitioner for The Refugee Center in Champaign, Illinois, received the Immigrant Leadership Award from the Champaign-Urbana Immigration Forum on Sept. 20. Through his work, "Khan focuses on helping people from war-affected and conflict zones like Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Iraq, be it organizing children's education, finding jobs or honing in on health," states an article in The News-Gazette.

Madelyn McGuigan 鈥17, a teacher at Spotswood Elementary School in Harrisonburg, won grand prize in the 28th annual Honored Teacher Essay Contest, thanks to a heartfelt essay written about her by one of her fifth-grade students. Chosen from teachers in three school divisions, McGuigan鈥攚ho graduated from 黑料正能量 with degrees in Spanish and sociology鈥攔eceived a $1,500 award. In his essay, the student praised his teacher for her 鈥渄edication to daily learning鈥 and incredible patience.