Meet Manilyn Gumapas '18

From day one, Manilyn was committed to her college experience, taking advantage of opportunities to learn and grow as a person and to advocate for others.

In spring her freshman year, she was awarded the 2015 Mark A. Reid First-Year Leadership Award by North Central College faculty and staff for her outstanding leadership ability.

Committed students like Manilyn thrive when they find ways to stay organized and make every minute count. Manilyn says she balances her classes, homework, friends and interests by selecting activities that complement her sociology major and interest in race and ethnicity.

This past spring, Manilyn worked as a preceptor for the class Race and Ethnic Minorities and held morning office hours to assist students with assignments. Her afternoons were filled with classes and rehearsals with Chamber Strings. After dinner with friends, she’d join the mid-week student-led worship service called Focus, do homework or lead meetings of Mosaic, a multicultural organization she launched.

Manilyn has served as an Orientation Leader and Multicultural Student Ambassador, attended leadership conferences, taken part in Verandah trips to historic locations and held multiple career-related internships. A College Scholar, she also studied abroad and conducted research in Glasgow, Scotland.

Her advice to new students: “If you’re busy with the right things, it makes your experience so rewarding.”