Dallas College honored its outstanding student leaders during the 2025 Student Life & Engagement Awards Show, held April 16 at the Fairmont Hotel Regency Ballroom in downtown Dallas from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The ball brought students together to celebrate achievements in leadership and service across the college’s seven campuses.
The sneaker ball theme came to be simply because they wanted to do something different than before, said Paul Crawford, Coordinator for Student Life. “To that end, we tried to keep it in alignment with the overarching theme for the year, ‘blazing new paths.’ This year we wanted to go beyond just a certificate. It was important that students felt seen and knew how much we [Dallas College] appreciate the work our student leaders put in.”
Awards ranged from Student of the Year to the Fitness Titan Award. Techchheng Tray, who received the Intercultural and Global Student Engagement Ambassador Award, said the honor symbolized his work of promoting diversity and inclusion on campus. “It shows my involvement in various groups’ backgrounds,” Tray said.
The awards ceremony
included time to highlight the students who made notable contributions through leadership programs like the Student Leadership Institute, SkillsUSA as well as the Alternative Spring Break initiative, encouraging civic engagement and skill development beyond the classroom.
Additionally, Crawford said: “I wanted to give students a glimpse into their next [phase of life]. I know from experience that events like the award show expose
students to possibilities and opportunities they otherwise may not have.”
The evening was fully recorded, allowing students, families and staff members who could not attend to watch the celebration later. Chancellor Justin Lonon, along with several Dallas College campus presidents, were also in
attendance to show their support and congratulate the honorees.
Students reflected on the night with pride. Aniya Robertson, a Dallas College student ambassador who helped volunteer during the ceremony, said speaking on stage was initially nerve-racking, but she quickly warmed up. “Announcing the winners was super exciting… my favorite part of it all was
getting to connect with everyone, whether I knew them already or not,” she said.
After the final awards were given, the night ended with students hitting the dance floor to celebrate together. Music, laughter and a strong sense of community closed out the special evening.
The 2025 Student Life & Engagement Awards Show not only celebrated past achievements, but also set an exciting tone for the
future leaders of Dallas College.
