A student body president, an executive editor and a Deloitte’s Tax Case Competition regional champion make up this year’s winners of the Lux Service Awards at the University of Northern Iowa. Each year, this Student Leadership Award represents the pinnacle of achievement for graduating seniors who will leave a lasting legacy at UNI long after they leave thanks to their exemplary service.

“Winning this award is meaningful to me because I am showing women like me that they, too, can do amazing things,” said Leila Mašinović, a Waterloo native who is majoring in biology with minors in criminology and legal studies. “To do something great, all you have to have is a good intention and plan.”

Mašinović has left her mark on campus as the 2022-2023 president of Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG). She is the first Muslim woman to hold the position. But Mašinović was making an impact long before she held the title of student body president. Through her membership with the Muslim Students Association, Mašinović has always advocated for students of faith. She even spoke to the faculty senate about adding religious observances to class absence and attendance policies. 

Mašinović will be the first person in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. As she approaches May Commencement, representing the culmination of all her hard work and dedication, Mašinović is thinking about what her accomplishments mean not only for herself but for those around her.

“While I do this, I get to show my younger sister and every other younger girl that they can do the same thing,” she said. “I get to be something I never had for my younger sister and to me, that’s one of the biggest honors in itself.”

For Nixson Benitez, the legacy he will leave behind at UNI is literally written throughout dozens of issues of the student newspaper, The Northern Iowan. Benitez, a digital media journalism major, joined the newspaper as a staff writer before taking on the role of executive editor, a title he held for two years. Under Benitez’s leadership, the paper saw many changes, including the addition of an all-Spanish column and an expanded, diversified staff. 

“I have increased our readership by 200% and have shocked many faculty and students that a student paper can have a bigger impact,” he said. “Many say journalism is a dying field, and I have shown in our newspaper that it is [merely] adjusting.”

Benitez has poured his passion into The Northern Iowan, but his impact doesn’t stop there. It stretches beyond campus through his work as a youth specialist for the Department of Human Rights and his role as a founder and secretary for the Iowa Association of Black Journalists. His commitment to bettering his community also earned him the title of Newman Civic Fellow in 2022.

By advocating for change with the student paper and in other areas, Benitez hopes others will learn from his example.

“Never be silent on the things you want,” he said. “Higher education is the best space to learn how to get them. Everyone here is an advocate and has great intentions to make the world a better place. Be the person to share those ideas with others, and you will be there in no time.”

Four years ago, Esha Jayswal, an accounting and economics major with an artificial intelligence certificate, showed up at UNI as a shy freshman, far from what anyone would define as a leader, she said. But she will be leaving UNI in May as an accomplished, confident graduate. Her involvement at UNI encompasses NISG, Accounting Club, Business Student Ambassadors, the Honors Program and more. 

“UNI really took a shy little Indian girl and turned her into a confident businesswoman ready to take on Wall Street,” said Jayswal. “I have gained top-notch accounting education that helped me stand out even amongst Ivy League students to secure an investment banking job. My time here shaped me into a kind and authentic leader.”

Among Jayswal’s greatest accomplishments at UNI is her leadership in the Deloitte Tax Case Competition. Each year, a group of five accounting students is selected to represent UNI. In years past, the winning teams were exclusively led by male students. Jayswal became the first female student to lead the team to victory at the regional competition and compete at the national level.

“I hope upcoming females in our program can look at the pictures on our display board and see accounting is a field for everyone to make an impact,” she said.

Jayswal hopes that through her example, other students will be a little less afraid to alter the status quo.

“I found that using the power of my voice, sharing my ideas and changing old ways of doing things led to better outcomes for all,” she said. “The world, now more than ever, needs leaders who are visionaries. Leaders who will share their bold ideas and collaborate with others to build a better future that is more equitable, prosperous and sustainable. And I hope my legacy will inspire students to be unafraid to share their unique gifts and make contributions to our campus community.”