It came as a complete surprise to Peter Hwang to learn that he’d won the 2015 Student Leadership Award given by Fox School‘s Management Information Systems Department and Institute for Business and Information Technology.
But win he did, and he, along with several other honorees, received his award at the 15th annual Information Technology Awards event on April 14, 2015.
Hwang is a Junior, majoring in Management Information Systems. The award is given annually to a full time undergraduate, or part or full time graduate student, who’s made a significant contribution to the students and extended community of the MIS department.
It’s unusual for such a young student to get the award, but Hwang has been stepping up as a leader since his sophomore year when he first joined Temple AIS (the founding student chapter of the Association of Information Systems.)
The organization offers students a chance to hone a variety of skills directly and indirectly related to MIS, through workshops, resume critiques and forums with speakers. It also gives students a chance to promote their current field of study, MIS.
“I tried to be active as possible. I would go to all the events and participate in their mentorship program.” Hwang says about his sophomore year with AIS.
“I applied to be the Director of IT my junior year. After the first semester, the VP of Operations stepped down. I was offered the position and gladly accepted.” Hwang says he had a strong desire to help out. By taking on the dual role, Hwang was effectively doing twice the standard level of volunteer work, which was seen by fellow students as well as faculty as much more than “helping out.”
Plus, he did it with a positive attitude.
Since arriving at Temple, a choice he made because it was close to home and he was interested in business, Hwang says he’s transformed. In high school, he was not as involved in academics. Now, he is “able to give back, to give workshops.”
One thing that hasn’t changed during his college career– his love of tennis. Hwang was the captain of his tennis team at Marple Newtown High School, and continues to play club tennis. It is, he says, for balance in his life. “It’s important to be physically active.”
Other people honored for making a significant contribution to the students and extended community of the MIS department include:
- Faculty Leadership Award – James Moustafellos
- Administrative Leadership Award – Debbie Riley
- Administrative Achievement Award – Jillian Reilly
- Faculty Teaching Award (full-time) – David Schuff
- Faculty Teaching Award (part-time) – Amy Lavin
- MIS Researcher of the Year – Paul Pavlou