In 2011 the staff of Campus Pride decided that another level of recognition was to be added to the National Voice & Action Leadership Award. The staff felt that there were too many amazing student leaders creating positive change on their respective campuses to only give recognition to the final recipients of the ward. This was the main reason the Top 12 Leaders in Action recognition was created. This year was another example of just that! All of the committee members agree that the applicants who applied and the work they have done is the very reason Campus Pride developed this national honor. These students are on the front lines of the movement creating positive change every day. We should be proud and thankful of all the work they do.

Just before the New Year, Campus Pride finished its review and selected the Top 12 Leaders in Action. These 12 students will also be forwarded on to the final review process. This final review process will result in the selection of the National Voice & Action Award Recipient(s).

Now please let us introduce you to the Top 12 Leaders in Action (listed in alphabetical order by first name); Ande Stone – University of Georgia, Anthony Wagner – University of Michigan-Dearborn, Derrick Clifton – Northwestern University, Eric Highers – Albion College, Giovanni Correale – Florida International University, Jacob Tobia – Duke University, Julie Champion – Georgia Tech, Kevin Claybren – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ky Kubitz – University of Oregon, Marco Flores – University of California-Berkeley, Matthew Troy – Greensboro College, Tovah Leibowitz – New York University.

Learn more about these Top 12 Leaders after the jump!

We asked each applicant to give their definition of social privilege; their thoughts are shared next to their picture.

Name: Ande Stone
College: University of Georgia
Age: 22
Social Privilege Definition: In social privilege lies the key to effecting societal change. Society is often defined by its constantly shifting internal power structure. Those with greater power in the system should use their influence to redistribute power most evenly throughout the system to ensure the greatest degree of equality.

Name: Anthony Wagner
College: University of Michigan-Dearborn
Age: 21
Social Privilege Definition: I define social privilege as special treatment given to particular individuals based on their outwardly expressed labels. This privilege is often invisible to those who benefit from it, which frequently leads to social and economic gaps between those who identify differently.

Name: Derrick Clifton
College: Northwestern University
Age: 23
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege encompasses the unearned perks and norm reinforcement of people within a dominant culture or identity construct. Privilege manifests along the lines of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, faith tradition, ability, age and other identities.
.
.

Name: Eric Highers
College: Albion College
Age: 21
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is the ability to avoid particular adversities and experiences with oppression and discrimination, not on the basis of individual action but on the basis of arbitrary status ascriptions and their valorization, while having varying degrees of access to resources and capitol (economic, material and social).

Name: Giovanni Correale
College: Florida International University
Age: 21
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is just that, a privilege. There should be no reason to have to earn it but we are challenged to every day. We get lost on a daily basis trying to be socially accepted by others when we should be looking/promoting for unconditional love and acceptance for all.

Name: Jacob Tobia
College: Duke University
Age: 20
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is a system whereby people are placed into social groups and treated differently based on those groupings. Social privilege is a group of norms, understandings, and ideas that systematically disadvantages and disenfranchises groups of people arbitrarily.
.
.

Name: Julie Champion
College: Georgia Tech
Age: 22
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is the advantage of a majority group over a minority group based on particular traits. Despite being the fuel behind inequality and discrimination, all people experience social privilege to a certain extent, therefore everyone should be responsible for recognizing and combating privilege in order to advance equality.

Name: Kevin Claybern
College: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Age: 19
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is an advantage given based on the fact an individual’s identity adheres to “norms” determined by society. This is an issue because it creates a hierarchy of identities, thus perpetuating an unequal and discriminatory status for people that do not fall into these categories.

Name: Ky Kubitz
College: University of Oregon
Age: 22
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is the given and never earned rights and benefits that allow certain persons and groups to easily move through sociological hierarchies and maintain comfort and safety. These rights are maintained or prevented based on a person’s social identity and the historical contexts that perpetuate social advantages/disadvantages.
.

Name: Marco Flores
College: University of California-Berkeley
Age: 23
Social Privilege Definition: Through my engagement with various under-represented communities I have come to understand social privilege as the access to opportunities and resources that are constantly informed by one’s class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, status.

Name: Matthew Troy
College: Greensboro College
Age: 19
Social Privilege Definition: Social privileges are defined and assumed by the wealthiest, most powerful, and dominant members of society. In modern society, government—to an extent, community organizing, and people with a sense of compassion represent the diverse underprivileged groups to limit these social privileges.

Name: Tovah Leibowitz
College: New York University
Age: 22
Social Privilege Definition: Social privilege is fundamentally an issue of access—who has been granted (or barred from) access to basic resources such as education, heath care, housing, employment opportunities, healthy food, etc. I believe social privilege is a product of systemic injustices based on legacies of racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, and colonialism.