Two recent graduates from The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering at UC Santa Barbara have been honored for their extraordinary service to the student body. Akinwole Akinbolagbe and Towela Phiri received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship, Leadership, and Citizenship, an annual commendation presented to graduating students who enhanced UCSB’s academic environment and demonstrated extraordinary service to the campus community. 

“Receiving this award is truly humbling,” said Phiri, who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in computer science. “I believe that change is rooted in community, and thus I work to continuously empower my community to ensure meaningful change is made. This award also highlights the importance of showing up for each other especially now, and it reminds me that leadership is not about a title or position, but about presence, intention, and showing up for your people, even when it is hard.”

Phiri, an international student from Johannesburg, South Africa, held multiple leadership positions, including president, in the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), prioritizing representation, fostering community, and advancing equity through increased representation and the dismantling of systemic barriers. Phiri helped to secure full funding to send eight students to the NSBE National Convention in Chicago, and she co-founded Every Black Obinrin Needs Ife (EBONI), an organization created to foster community and create a safe space for Black womxn-identifying students by reinstating the student-run organization Akanke. 

“My first year on campus was overshadowed by the COVID pandemic, which meant that not only was I far from home, but I had limited access to a community,” she recalled. “I faced moments of loneliness and isolation, especially being the only black woman in my major at the time. I often felt like I didn’t belong in computer science. I became active on campus to provide a space and sense of belonging for other students who were in my shoes. I worked to provide and make available resources to black students in STEM and black womxn on campus who felt othered and alone.”

Phiri spearheaded the first Black Women’s Appreciation Night, an event dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of Black students through intentional programming and community connection. She also served as the international student engagement chair coordinator with the Residential Housing Association (RHA), where she advocated for the needs of international students in campus housing.

“All of my experiences at UCSB transformed me. They taught me how to listen with intention, act with humility, and lead without ego. They challenged me to navigate conflict, ambiguity, and exhaustion, and to find purpose even in the most difficult moments. More than anything, they gave me clarity about the kind of person I want to be: someone who moves with integrity and empowers her community,” said Phiri, who next plans to pursue a PhD in computer science/information science. 

Akinbolagbe, who recently completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, was commended for dedicating three extraordinary years of service to making the campus more welcoming to and supportive of the Black and international communities. He traced his activism to a commitment that he made after his freshman year at UCSB. 

“I really isolated myself socially my first year,” said Akinbolagbe, who grew up in Lekki Lagos, Nigeria. “Then, at the beginning of my second year, I promised myself to become more involved in the UCSB community and to be the difference for other students, who, like me, wanted to be socially involved but didn’t have that first friendly face to usher them in.”

Akinbolagbe said that he was most proud of helping resurrect key student organizations that had been struggling since the pandemic, including the NSBE, the Black Student Union, and the Nigerian Students Association. He organized professional development activities, coordinated outreach for underrepresented STEM students, and raised the level of engagement for mechanical engineering undergraduate students. 

“I am most proud that I was present and effective in recreating the pre-pandemic environments and services these clubs and communities offered to the wider campus,” said Akinbolagbe, adding that he was extremely confident that the organizations’ would enjoy continued success. “I feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction to know that my hard work and dedication made an impact on my communities and the university.” 

He encouraged future graduates of The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering to take advantage of the endless connections and opportunities available on campus. 

“I would tell them to be curious enough to look for them, brave enough to try them, and smart enough to dedicate yourself to them,” said Akinbolagbe, who plans to work in the aerospace industry for a few years before applying to graduate school.