St. Thomas seniors Thevni Lelwala, Kevyn Perkins and Adam Revoir have been selected as finalists for the 2022 Tommie Award, an annual honor given to a St. Thomas senior who “embodies the ideals of St. Thomas Aquinas through scholarship, leadership and campus involvement.”

Candidates were nominated online by students and faculty Nov. 3-23, and three finalists were chosen from the nominees. Students will vote via email Feb. 8-10 to determine the winner of the prestigious award.

Thevni Lelwala

During her time at St. Thomas, Lelwala has worked to create a positive impact through promoting diversity and inclusion in her community, while facing her own challenges as a Chinese international student.

“A lot of people already came with their friend groups,” Lelwala said. “It was really hard for me to fit in.”

However, the Office of International Students and Scholars paired Lelwala with a group of fellow international students on campus. Since then, she has worked to provide a welcoming environment for other students.

“I wanted to bring that opportunity to other people – whether it’s out-of-state or international students or students of color,” Lelwala said.

Now, Lelwala is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Undergraduate Business Council, the representative body for all undergraduate business students. She is also the DEI intern at Opus College of Business.

Lelwala’s commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives has been noticed by many, including Maria Helena Buitrago Cohoon, a graduate student representative and one of Lelwala’s nominators.

“Thevni has drawn attention to common issues that reflect a lack of inclusivity and works with faculty to help address these concerns,” Buitrago Cohoon said.

Lelwala also works as a resident adviser for upperclassmen housing in mid-campus, working to foster positive connections between her residents.

“I always encourage my residents to show kindness whenever you can,” Lelwala said. “Even if someone isn’t showing kindness to you, it’s the best thing you can do.”

As she nears the end of her college journey, Lelwala reminisces about those who have helped her along the way.

“I’m so grateful for all the students and staff and faculty who support me each and every step of the way,” Lelwala said.

Kevyn Perkins

Perkins works to create a campus environment that is welcoming to all students at St. Thomas by finding issues that need attention and doing what he can to improve them.

One way Perkins has pursued social justice and inclusivity is by being the president of the Black Empowerment Student Alliance.

“I really feel like I have the chance to make a safe space for students of color on campus,” Perkins said.

Perkins’ positive actions have caught the attention of many, including history professor and distinguished university chair Yohuru Williams.

“I consider him to be one of the brightest lights in the current constellation of UST students committed to social justice and equity,” Williams said.

Perkins is also involved as a Resident Adviser and serves as the Student Liaison to the Board of Trustees, which he believes has allowed him to impact more people at St. Thomas.

“Being involved on campus, people look up to you,” Perkins said. “I just try to be that positive light on campus.”

Adam Revoir

Revoir has been a commuter student for his entire college career, which he said initially made it difficult to connect around campus. However, Revoir did not let that stop him from being an incredibly active member of the St. Thomas community.

Revoir’s love for connecting with students and staff is what sparked his involvement.

“The first thing I do is build that relationship,” Revoir said. “From that, you can learn so much about a person.”

Revoir currently serves as the Undergraduate Student Government President. He also continues to be involved with the Student Diversity and Inclusion Services office.

Being president of the undergraduate student body has given Revoir the chance to diversify important conversations.

“It’s being able to bring people into these conversations to make meaningful dialogue and making sure some of those voices we usually don’t hear are heard from,” Revoir said.

Including new ideas from diverse people around campus is one way Revoir believes he can help improve the St. Thomas community.

“I think what allows me to bring more positivity and continue to procure more good things on campus is being able to bring in unique perspectives,” Revoir said.

Tommie Award voting begins Feb. 8 and ends Feb. 10. Students can vote through the ballot sent to their St. Thomas email.

Derek Badger can be reached at badg7629@stthomas.edu.