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The UTEP Student Leadership Awards are designed to celebrate and recognize the countless hours and contributions that student leaders make to the UTEP campus, El Paso community, and beyond. These awards are the highest forms of recognition that are awarded to outstanding individual student leaders, student organizations, and fraternity and sorority chapters at UTEP.

The 2024 UTEP Student Leadership Awards Ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Tomas Rivera Conference Center.

Individual Leadership Awards

• Carlos Gonzalez, GDSC – Striking Gold Award
  The Striking Gold Award recognizes first-year and second-year students who have begun making noteworthy contributions to the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é and/or community.

Carlos Gonzalez is the president of the Google Developer Student Club, where he has the opportunity to deliver weekly technical workshops to inspire CS students to learn about areas such as artificial intelligence, web development, and professional development skills.

• Natalia Mesta Valenzuela, GWC - Leaders of Mines Award
  The Leaders of Mines Award is the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s oldest student leadership recognition. The recipients will be students who have demonstrated significant and sustained leadership and have made contributions to UTEP and the greater community while maintaining evidence of quality academic achivement.

Natalia demonstrates leadership through her role as President of GWC and CAHSI Scholar, where she organized over 25 workshops covering technical and professional skills, fostering a supportive community for underrepresented students in STEM. She has also led community-building activities to encourage inclusivity and collaboration among members, working with other student organizations to broaden the reach of Girls Who Code's mission. As an Ally at CAHSI, she provides mentorship and guidance to students on scholarships, internships, and career opportunities, reinforcing her commitment to empowering others in the tech industry. Beyond her leadership roles, she supports the CS Department through various outreach events like Orange and Blue Day and the Engineering Carnival, promoting the benefits of a STEM career to prospective students.  

• Brian Rodiles Delgado, MCSC – Top Ten Seniors Awards
  The Top Ten Senior Award recognizes seniors who excel through academic achievement, campus and community activities, athletic or extra-curricular honors or awards, scholarships, and work ethic as undergraduate students.

Brian will be graduating this semester with the B.S. in Computer Science and served as president of the Miners Cybersecurity Club and participated in UTEP’s Research Experience for Teachers (RET), where he taught cybersecurity and data science to middle and high school teachers. As a result of his efforts in the classroom, lab and community, Rodiles Delgado was named a recipient of the Barry Goldwater National Research Award, one of only two UTEP recipients to ever receive the award.

Student Organization Awards

• The Coding Interview Club - Student Organization of the Year
  The Student Organization of the Year award is presented to a student organization that goes above and beyond in the areas of academics, programming, member recruitment/engagement, and the development of student leaders.

The Coding Interview Club prep students for the technical interview process by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to succeed in these interviews. Through workshops, mock interviews, and peer mentoring, the club fosters an inclusive environment where members can develop both technical and soft skills. CIC’s goal is to empower students to succeed in pursuing tech careers by providing them with the resources and support they need to navigate the interview process confidently.

• Girls Who Code – Program/Event of the Year
  The Program/Event of the Year award is presented to a student organization that has facilitated a successful program/event that positively impacted UTEP students or the greater community.

Girls Who Code hosted the "Emerging Female Engineers" program series during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 academic year. The series, aimed at STEM students—particularly women—featured workshops on topics like Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Mock Interviews, offering hands-on experiences to develop technical skills. Additional events included resume workshops and sessions about the Grace Hopper Celebration, as well as internship and scholarship application parties. The program also provided social gatherings like the Pink Social, Spooky Social, and Friends-Giving, creating a welcoming environment for participants. Through this series, Girls Who Code at UTEP promoted a supportive community while fostering the growth of aspiring engineers.