On Monday morning, the University announced the seven students from the Class of 2025 who were selected for Allen Macy Dulles ’51 Spirit of Princeton Award. The award “recognizes students with a strong commitment to enhancing the undergraduate experience through contributions to student organizations, athletics, community service, religious life, residential life, and the arts.”
The seven seniors selected are Stephen Padlo ’25, Maddie Seltzer ’25, Leena Memon ’25, Srista Tripathi ’25, Issa Mudashiru ’25, Venezia Garza ’25, and Jenna Elliott ’25.
All seven seniors were nominated by a member of the Princeton University community. There were over 180 nominations sent to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS), which has sponsored this award since its inception in 1995.
The winners are then “selected by a committee of representatives from across undergraduate student life,” according to a statement provided by University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill to The Daily Princetonian.
For many of the awardees, the news from Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Ian Deas arrived in their inbox unexpectedly.
Tripathi, who majors in Public and International Affairs (SPIA), learned of her award while working on a final research paper. “I gasped and screamed out loud,” she wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Outside of the classroom, Tripathi is the former vice president of USG and has also taken on leadership roles with the International Relations Council, Princeton Model United Nations Conference, and Princeton Women in Medicine. She has also performed with both the Naacho Dance Company and Triple 8 Dance Company.
For Garza, the news arrived while she was attending a PTL (post-thesis life) party outside of the U-Store.
“I was in complete shock and felt myself shaking,” Garza wrote. “It was a moment of such deep pride, and I feel so humbled to have been recognized in such a way alongside my peers.”
Garza is an anthropology major who established the Princeton chapter of National Alzheimer’s Buddies and the Henry J. Austin Health Connections program. She is also an RCA in Mathey and a peer health advisor, while holding leadership roles with Más Flow Latin Dance Company and the Latine Medical Student Association.
“My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 13 years ago, and I grew up as her caregiver alongside my mother,” Garza wrote. “She is my motivation for why I plan to become a geriatric physician in the future.”
For Mudashiru, the news also caught him off guard. “When I read the subject line, my jaw dropped. After skimming the email, I immediately called my mom to share the news,” he wrote.
Mudashiru was one of three seniors awarded the Schwarzman Scholarship, which funds a one-year master’s program in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Mudashiru captained the men’s soccer team, which won an Ivy League title in 2024. He was previously the vice president of the Black Premedical Society and an intern with the Carl A. Fields Center. He is also a mentor through the Princeton University Mentoring Program at the Carl A. Fields Center.
Padlo, a current Young Alumni Trustee finalist, the 2025 Class Treasurer, and an RCA in Yeh College, reflected on his team in student government.
“The most meaningful experience I have had through my campus involvement was working for four years on our class government,” he wrote. “It meant a lot to me knowing that I can make an immediate impact on my fellow classmates through the programming we put together as a group.”
Elliott, who served as student life chair for USG, community chair for the Princeton Psychology Society, vice president of the Performing Arts Council, and as an RCA in Rocky, shared similar sentiments.
“My work with USG has been the most meaningful and rewarding,” Elliott wrote. “It’s given me a chance to use my voice in support of my peers and work with key stakeholders to advocate for the student experience.”
For Seltzer — a diver on the women’s swimming and diving team that recently captured its third consecutive Ivy championship — branching outside of athletics was a priority for her time at Princeton.
“As a student-athlete, it’s easy to become wholly immersed in your sport, and many athletes primarily identify with that part of their life,” she wrote. “From the start, I knew I wanted a broader experience — I wanted to be part of the wider Princeton community and make an impact beyond my team.”
Seltzer’s commitments outside of DeNunzio pool include serving as a Team IMPACT fellow, co-president of the Student Athlete Service Council, and founder of the Jewish Student Athlete Collective. Seltzer was also announced as a finalist for the Art Lane ’34 award.
With Team IMPACT, Seltzer worked with the nonprofit to “pair children facing serious illness or disability with college athletic teams to create long-term, life-changing relationships.”
For Memon, her role as an RCA in Butler shaped her experience at Princeton. Memon is additionally the president of the Muslim Students Association and the Society of Women Engineers, while serving as a Peer Career Advisor (PCA) in Butler as well.
“It’s so rewarding to watch (and oftentimes, help) new students find their footing in college,” Memon reflected. “My zees have often taught me life lessons, when you’d usually expect [it to be] the other way around. The RCA role provides a unique opportunity to meet students from all walks of life, and has been one of the best parts about my Princeton experience.”
The winners each shared one piece of parting advice for future students who will walk the same halls of Princeton.
Padlo urged incoming students to pursue genuine passion: “To make a positive impact on this campus, do what you are passionate about! Don’t just do it for a line on your resume, do it because you care and want to make a genuine impact.”
Seltzer encouraged “Say[ing] yes to everything. Whether opportunities come to you or you have to go find them, be proactive and curious.”
Memon emphasized small actions: “Get involved! Even helping one person with a seemingly small issue can have a butterfly effect.”
Tripathi highlighted following personal interests: “Find things that you’re genuinely interested in … it’s always best to work on your passions, and Princeton is the best place to do it.”
Mudashiru advised intentional engagement: “Try not to focus too much on the resume but rather on the type of skills you want to build and the people that you want to work with, learn from, and impact.”
Garza recommended authenticity: “I would encourage them to be true to themselves no matter what.”
Lastly, Elliott encouraged students to embrace obstacles: “Find ways to get comfortable with setbacks and accept that you can not always meet your own expectations.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Jenna Elliot was an RCA in Mathey. She was actually an RCA for Rocky. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
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