As part of this year’s commencement in May, the IU School of Liberal Arts has awarded the 2020 Faculty Medal of Academic Distinction to two of its finest students, Kamna Gupta and Ahmed Abbas.
The Faculty Medal of Academic Distinction is an award given to students who demonstrate multi-disciplinary approaches to their studies while actively participating in extracurricular and community activities. It is the highest honor that the School of Liberal Arts can bestow on a graduating student.
Kamna Gupta, an IUPUI honor’s college student, earned a degree in Medical Humanities and Health Sciences with a minor in Religious Studies. Throughout her IUPUI journey, Kamna held campus-wide leadership roles, serving as the 2019 Associate Executive Director of External Affairs, Regatta Steering Committee, and as Executive Director for the TEDxIUPUI Planning Committee. Kamna was a Bepko scholar and named as a “Top 10 Outstanding IUPUI Student” in 2019.
Emily Beckman, Director and Associate Professor, Medical Humanities and Health Sciences program, said of Ms. Gupta, “[Kamna is] an energetic young woman and a rigorous scholar who has represented the School of Liberal Arts and IUPUI with great integrity and enthusiasm.”
In the summer of 2018, Kamna traveled abroad to the Samoan Islands and devised her own independent research project to observe the practice of local herbal medicine. She chronicled her trip in a paper titled, Herbal Medicine and Western Medical Systems in Samoa, which went on to win the prestigious William H. Schneider Essay Contest in January of 2019. When asked what her future holds, Kamna said “I will be attending Indiana University School of Medicine and hope to eventually provide medical care and support to historically under-served communities”.
Ahmed Abbas earned a double major in Religious Studies and International and Global Studies with minors in Arabic & Islamic Studies and Political Science. He was a recipient of the IUPUI Masarachia Scholarship, and in 2019, the Department of Religious Studies granted Ahmed the Tony Sherrill Up-and-Coming Student Award for bringing his excellent academic work to bear on his engagements with Indianapolis communities.
Professor and Chair, Religious Studies, David Craig said of Abbas, “In the classroom, he draws on ideas, thinkers and examples encountered across his different courses. He also builds on other students’ insights and elicits sharing by fellow students who do not have his public confidence.”
Ahmed’s ability to forge intellectual connections carried beyond the class and into the community as he served with the IUPUI Social Justice Education program from 2017 until 2019. He co-led the “Shop Talk” program, which cultivated intimate conversations on a vast array of social topics in order to strengthen student thought on campus. In addition, Ahmed co-led the “SpeakOUT” program, providing a space for students to artistically express their experiences with diversity and inclusion, as well as their social justice commitments.
While Mr. Abbas and Ms. Gupta pursued different academic paths, their respective instructors made very similar observations. Both students possessed an earnest curiosity and a desire to elevate their own scholarship which came through in their academic work. Both Ahmed and Kamna tirelessly pursued engagements with their campus, community, and the world at large.
These students and this award mean a great deal for the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Their ability to make connections and bridge academic pursuits with community engagements serve as an exemplary model for students and faculty in the liberal arts.
The School of Liberal Arts is very proud of Kamna Gupta and Ahmed Abbas and congratulates them both on winning the Faculty Medal of Academic Distinction. The future is bright for both of these young scholars, and the School of Liberal Arts is excited to see where their journeys will lead them. They serve as wonderful examples of the power and breadth of a modern liberal arts education.
