The Rising Star Young Leader Award is given annually in recognition of a professional who has impacted the field of international education during the first five years of the recipient's area of work. The rising star will have demonstrated a commitment to internationalization and an ingenuity of thought that has the potential for having substantial and lasting influence upon global education.
Nominations for this award are forwarded from NAFSA regions.
Recent Recipients
Jonathan Rivera Perez
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Georgia Institute of Technology
Jonathan Rivera Perez has a B.A. in Public Communications and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Jonathan's journey in Education started in K-12 Teaching before going into the Higher Education scene in 2016. He worked as an Adjunct Faculty member and Academic Advisor for a small...
Louis Deemer
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University of Pittsburgh
Louis is an Immigration Specialist at the University of Pittsburgh's Office of International Services. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Higher Education Management both from the University of Pittsburgh. Louis received the Department of Education’s Foreign...
Kevin Sullivan
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Case Western Reserve University
D&I Subcommittee Member
Kevin Sullivan is the assistant director of education abroad at Case Western Reserve University, helping students find and plan study, research, internship, and co-op opportunities around the world. He is also a member of the NAFSA Rainbow SIG leadership team. Sullivan received his master's degree...
Dawn Wilkenfeld
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Montclair State University
Lead Conference Planner, Region X
Dawn Wilkenfeld, MA, works as the international student services coordinator at Montclair State University. She also is actively involved in volunteering locally within the international education community, serving as the conference planner for NAFSA Region X. In her daily work, Wilkenfeld serves...