The Northbrook native was joined by her mother Mary Levinson and Senior Associate Dean of Students Carolyn Golz in the House of Representatives of the Illinois State Capitol, where she was presented with a Lincoln Academy Medallion and a modest financial award.

Student Laureate Awards are presented for excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities to seniors from each of the four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities in Illinois.

Levinson said she is excited and humbled to have her name included among the list of past Lake Forest College recipients, and especially the most recent two – Linda “Allie” Winkelman ’11 and Allyson Bain ’12. Both are former classmates she admires. 

Winkelman was the president of Levinson’s sorority Alpha Phi at the time, a title Levinson now holds herself. Bain introduced Levinson to the Grace Elizabeth Groner Foundation, which connected her with a volunteer opportunity at the Children’s Drop-in Center in Lake Forest where she designs environmental programs.

Levinson also credits her education at a small liberal arts college for her experiences and successes. 

It did not take long for the communication major to begin to establish a name for herself. As a first-year student, she became the first intern hired to work on the campus garden, located behind Glen Rowan House. She helped draft a proposal for the project, set up volunteer hours, and more. 

As a sophomore, she established Students for Non-Alcoholic Programming. In its inaugural year, the group planned about 15 events, some attended by as many as 75-100 students, and went on to win the Student Organization of the Year Award.

Levinson, a member of the Senior 25, is interested in the environment and education and has taken steps throughout her studies to prepare for a career merging the two fields.

“I have a lot of interests, and my coursework has been flexible to let me do independent research,” she said.

In fact, last spring she completed an independent study course with Professor Kathryn Dohrmann, an expert in Montessori Education. Levinson wrote her own syllabus, completed field observations at local Montessori schools, and wrote a research paper to earn course credit.

She also completed a marketing/public relations internship with the U.S. Green Building Council in the fall of 2011.

Currently, she is peer teaching Educational Reform in the U.S. alongside Associate Professor of Education Shelley Sherman – a class that, when she was enrolled as a student, served as her impetus to explore education as a career.

Among her other accolades: last spring she was named a Foster G. McGaw Scholar for her outstanding leadership abilities and excellent academic achievements, and she was the 2012 Homecoming Queen. She also is a Dean’s list student and a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the communications national honor society.

News Contact

Kellie Doyle
doyle@lakeforest.edu
847-735-6177 

Related Links:

• Past Lincoln Laureate recipients from the College