Crystal Carrillo, a junior Spanish major from Schuyler, Nebraska, was selected as the first annual scholarship winner of the Pat McBride Excellence Fund Scholarship.
Carrillo was a New Student Enrollment (NSE) orientation leader in 2023 and all the donations to the Excellence Fund were provided by past orientation leaders. She is the third in her family to serve as an orientation leader, as her brothers, Sadid and Joel, served in the position in 2012 and 2016.
Outside of being an orientation leader, Carrillo is a medic in the Army National Guard and plans on attending medical school after graduation.
She is also involved in Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc. (KDCHI) and offered this advice to new students about involvement:
"KDCHI is a multicultural Latina-based sorority that promotes the values of unity, honesty, integrity, and leadership. During my freshman year, I focused all my attention on my studies and chose not to get involved in anything but Intramural Sports. However, I realized that I wanted to find a community of people who will support me and push me to be my best self. I had always wanted to go the Panhellenic route (traditional sororities), but I did not feel like I belonged in that world. I did not see anyone who looked like me and that is when I found KDCHI."
The Excellence Fund was named after former New Student Enrollment director, Pat McBride, who led the NSE office for 31 years. Carrillo was honored with this award at the Orientation Leader Reunion on Sept. 22.
