Freshman Grace Leekley has been honored for best exemplifying student leadership, personal integrity, a dedication to academics, and involvement in campus and civic activities. UCI School of Social Sciences

Grace Leekley of the School of Social Sciences has received the Nicholas Aeberhard Award for outstanding freshmen who best exemplify student leadership, personal integrity, a dedication to academics, and involvement in campus and civic activities. In addition to maintaining a 3.76 GPA as a double major in sociology and political science, Leekley volunteered at the LBGT Resource Center, raised funds for the Campus Assault Resource & Education Center and is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She is also the newest peer educator at the CARE Center and will meet with various campus organizations to raise awareness of sexual violence and share tools for prevention. “When I was growing up, my parents would take me to volunteer to feed the homeless with our church every Thanksgiving,” Leekley said. “So from that young age, because of how my parents raised me and what I saw, I grew up with this really big passion for helping people.” Mark Petracca, associate dean of the School of Social Sciences said, “She hit the ground running at UCI, so the decision to nominate her just made sense. Grace’s  level of involvement in community service-oriented activities on campus during her first year was as impressive as it was rare for most students.” Leekley plans to pursue a career as a lobbyist because,  she said, “I feel that’s a good way to get around that whole political storm while still making a difference.”