Perseverance “Percy” Unger ’26 – Derek Canfield Barker Student Leadership Award

A Civic Engagement Fellow and leader in Brown Votes, Percy expanded civic engagement across campus–launching initiatives that reached nearly every corner of Brown, building partnerships with the Meiklejohn and Bruno Leader programs, and integrating voter education into first-year orientation.

William French ’26 – Derek Canfield Barker Student Leadership Award

Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) Fellow and longtime member of Swearer’s student communications team, William helped launch Amplify: Student Voices and strengthened Swearer storytelling. Through his CBLR course, he partnered with Women’s Refugee Care, supporting clients and deepening a key community partnership.

Yui Miura ’26 – Abelardo Hernández Community Engagement Award

Through her work with Health and Education for All (HAEFA) and as founder of its Brown student chapter, Yui combined research, capacity-building and partnership–analyzing 13,000+ pediatric health records, training staff in data tools and supporting refugee communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. At Brown, she also volunteers with BRYTE and local refugee communities.

Josué Morales ’26 – Engaged Scholarship Award 

As a Royce Fellow and Engaged Scholarship Certificate student, Josué’s project, “Bën Za,” centers on Zapotec identity and storytelling through documentary work with Organización Regional de Oaxaca (ORO). His work reflects a commitment to cultural preservation, oral history and community-led research.

Rishika Kartik ’26 – Engaged Scholarship Award

A Newman Civic Fellow and Royce Fellow, Rishika works at the intersection of disability, design and storytelling. Through Connect for Health (C4H), ASPECT and her teaching and research, she advances accessible systems and community-informed design, co-creating courses and public-facing projects grounded in collaboration and lived experience.

Chase Bryer – Graduate Engaged Scholarship Award

PhD student in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences and Program Coordinator for the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative (NAISI), Chase leads community-engaged research with Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ communities and partners with organizations including Pride in Aging RI and the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

Lexi Pellegrino ’26 – Derek Canfield Barker Community-Engaged Athletic Award

A varsity field hockey student-athlete and SAAC Community Service Chair, Lexi has expanded community engagement across athletics. She volunteers locally with Vartan Gregorian Elementary School and the Rhode Island Food Bank, and globally through Courts for Kids, while serving as a Bruno Cares Teammate supporting student-athlete well-being.

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Congratulations to our 2026 Swearer Student Award winners!

Join us on April 24, 3–5 p.m., on Pembroke Field for the Swearer Center’s Annual Community Celebration & Awards, where we will honor these students alongside faculty and community partners as part of our 40th anniversary.

This event is open to all–students, faculty, staff, alums, community partners, families and friends.

Learn more about the April 24 Community Celebration & Awards → events.brown.edu/swearer/event/annualcelebration