This award recognizes alumni or members of the community at large who have made significant contributions (tangible and intangible) to the SLCL community; contributions which strengthen our public service mission, our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and our international connections.

This year’s awardee is Eman Saadah. Eman is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and serves as director of the Less Commonly Taught Languages Program and director and language coordinator of Arabic. She has served in these roles for over a decade and has significantly expanded the scope and visibility of both programs in ways that have had great impact on the community. 

Her unit’s Arabic High School Program—which has been in place since 2016 and runs concurrently with the Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW)—in particular has provided opportunities for high school students to register for two weeks of intensive, residential Arabic language learning at UIUC. The program has been a singular success and attracted applicants from across the United States. With the support of the Qatar Foundation International, Eman has worked to secure fellowships for qualified students in need, ensuring everyone has equitable access to the program. 

She has also actively contributed to the Avicenna Community Health Center Executive Board, an initiative that provides culturally responsive care to the uninsured and underinsured in Champaign County, and has been extensively involved with the Muslim American Society’s Champaign-Urbana Chapter since 2007.