Frederick S. Liu

First Year Leadership Award

Presented by Marcy Kraus, Executive Director of the College Center for Advising Services and Dean of First Year Students

Marcy has served as an administrator on campus, working with students as an academic advisor, for twenty-eight years.

Part of what makes college so exciting is the fact that when you arrive in your first year, your opportunities appear to be limitless. Because there are large amounts of unstructured time, first-year students have many choices. You can choose to stay up all night, every night if you wish You can choose to join two student organizations or 20 student organizations. What makes college unique and unlike any other time in your life, is that when you are part of a place like the UR, you are part of a community. Community is not just a concept, it is what makes a college experience so enriching.

This year’s recipient of the Award for First Year Leadership recognized from the first moment he became a Yellowjacket, that he wanted to help give back to the Class of 2023. In his words, “The moment I received my acceptance letter, I made a promise that I will exceed the best of my ability to give back, to serve, and to contribute to the University of Rochester. To date, it appears that Frederick, has fully met this ambitious goal. As a first-year student, he holds two positions with the Student Association; through his work as Deputy Parliamentarian, and the Spring 2020 Elections Coordinator, he has been praised for his ability to tackle large projects with enthusiasm and initiative. In the words of his recommender, “he has singlehandedly made us more accountable, more consistent, and more equitable,” and “has pursued a positive, careful, and evenhanded approach to improving participation in [student government].”

When he is not applying his endless efforts to improving student government, Frederick is also engaged on campus as a varsity track and field athlete and as a Workshop Leader for PHL 110, To serve effectively in these roles, while maintaining an exceptional academic record, it is critical to listen and learn from one’s classmates, to remain dedicated to one’s perspective, to juggle exams with time on and off the athletic field, to motivate and support his peers and to maintain calm and cool when the unexpected occurs.  We thank Frederick for his service to the first-year class and to the UR community and congratulate him as this year’s recipient of the First Year Leadership Award. I wish you continued success in your remaining years on campus.

About the Award

The First Year Leadership Award recognizes an exceptional member of the first year class who has motivated their fellow classmates to become actively involved in the campus community.