CU EMPower Peer Protégé and Peer Mentors of the Year
The CU EMPower protégé and peer mentor awards are presented to a mentoring pair who have made outstanding efforts to maximize their mentoring partnership. As mentoring partners, they have gone beyond regular participation in CU EMPower and by demonstrated a strong commitment to self-development and the group mentoring process.
CU Empower Outstanding Peer Protégé: Ryan Issa ‘26, (Unaffiliated) Engineering
CU Empower Outstanding Peer Mentor: Jakobi Davis ’25, Civil Engineering
Ryan Issa is very involved and dedicated to CU EMPower. He developed his relationship with his mentor to gain greater insight into determining his field of study and plans to continue that relationship by having his mentor serve as his research mentor this summer.
Jakobi Davis went above and beyond the required meetings and stayed in constant contact with his mentees. He kept in regular touch with his mentees and was an active participant at our group events, all while balancing an engineering course schedule and participation in varsity sports. He contributes to an engaging and fun atmosphere at every event, and he has proven to be caring and committed to helping his mentees develop academically and socially.
The Ephrahim Garcia Graduate Excellence in Mentoring Award
This award is given in honor of Cornell Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Ephrahim Garcia, who passed away in 2014 at an early age. Ephrahim was a mentor and advisor to a great many students and champion for diversity and inclusion.
The Ephrahim Garcia Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes graduate students who have exhibited exceptional mentorship of undergraduates and/or new graduate students in their assistantships, fosters greater inclusion through mentoring, and works closely with others in research and/or other settings across the college.
Cecilio Tamarit Camarero, Electrical and Computer Engineering, PhD Student
Cecilio has shown exceptional mentorship by providing an inclusive and easygoing environment. His two undergraduate mentees shared that while he is aware of limits, he pushes them to achieve as much as possible. Also, “when I first started working with him, I was intimidated since it was my first research experience at Cornell… [he] made the experience very enjoyable and worthwhile for me.”
Return to 2023 Annual Awardees list