Harold W. Colvin Award for Undergraduate Leadership

Lily Rybka is a Senior at the University of Illinois, majoring in Information and Data Science. She discovered the University YMCA as a Freshman through her involvement with Interfaith in Action (IIA), a Y affiliated Student Organization. Since then she has demonstrated sustained service, thoughtful leadership, and dedication to ensuring student voices are central to the work of the Y. 

As a student leader of interfaith initiatives, Lily served as the President of IIA her Sophomore and Junior years. During this period she worked to create an innovative approach to interfaith work, extending to bridge building efforts to form a more engaged, educated, and active community. Concurrently, she worked hard to refound Alternative Seasonal Breaks, a longtime student program that had been on hiatus since 2020. As its first President since 2019-2020, she led the effort to re-establish its presence as a meaningful avenue for service and reflection, resulting in 2024 with ASB’s first trip since 2019.

Lily also served as the Student President of the Y her Junior year, providing steady, values-driven leadership during a period of transition. Intentional about bringing new faces into the room, she created opportunities for a wide range of perspectives to be heard, ensuring that students feel both welcomed and empowered. And as a member of the Y’s Board of Governors, she has been a thoughtful advocate who ensures that student engagement is not just a programmatic priority, but a value reflected at the policy level.

Through all of her roles, Lily has displayed great leadership across a wide variety of interests and programs. Demonstrating integrity, inclusivity, and a deep devotion to the objectives of the University YMCA, her commitment to service and values-driven leadership embodies the principles epitomized by the Harold W. Colvin Award for Undergraduate Leadership.