For Immediate Release
August 25, 2026
For media inquiries, contact: Ricardo Diaz, 217-979-0255 xpenn.diaz@gmail.com) or Janel Gomez, 217-403-8843 janel.gomez@champaignil.gov
(Urbana/Champaign, Illinois) The CU Immigration Forum, as sponsor of the 13th Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards, is happy to announce the recipients of this year’s recipients. The 2026 Immigrant Welcome Award winners are:
Student Leadership Award – Elif Varlik and Joel Díaz
Emergent Leader Award - Mymy Gnahoré
Immigrant Leadership Award – Belinda Guillén Rodríguez
The Claire Szoke Distinguished Service Award – Guadalupe Abreu
Business Leadership Award – Rooted Pathways Counseling and Consulting (Nadia Abuamouneh)
All award recipients will be honored during the Immigrant Welcome Awards Ceremony and Celebration on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The celebration starts at 1:30 PM and will be held at Lewis Auditorium of The Urbana Free Library (210 W. Green St. Urbana). The event includes entertainment, special guests, and features Mariachi Libertad. The public is invited to attend this free event and the reception afterwards on the main floor of the library to celebrate the diversity of cultures that make up Champaign-Urbana.
The Immigrant Welcome Awards Ceremony and Celebration is sponsored by C-U Immigration Forum and cosponsored by City of Champaign, The Urbana Free Library, the City of Urbana, Urbana Arts and Culture Program, University YMCA’s New American Welcome Center, Immigrant Services of Champaign-Urbana, The Refugee Center, The Immigration Project, Bend the Arc Jewish Action of Champaign-Urbana, and the Immigrant Justice Team of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign. The 13th Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards Ceremony and Celebration is part of 2026 Welcoming Week, a national week of events that brings together immigrants and U.S. born residents in a spirit of better understanding and unity.
The CU Immigration Forum’s Steering and the Planning Committees recognize we each have a story to share and Welcoming Week this year encourages us to share them and find commonalities.
What does the Champaign-Urbana Immigration Forum do? We advocate, educate, network, and celebrate the contributions of immigrants. Whether working for local immigrant justice, highlighting issues that our immigrant neighbors face, hosting local forums, creating shows on WRFU and UPTV or celebrating diversity through the annual Immigrant Welcome Awards, we stand with our immigrant communities.
Media Contacts:
Ricardo Diaz – CU Immigration Forum – 217-979-0255, xpenn.diaz@gmail.com
Janel Gomez – - City of Champaign – 217-403-8830, janel.gomez@champaignil.gov
Olivia Coleman – Urbana Free Library – 217-367-4057, ocoleman@urbanafree.org
Follow the event on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CUImmigrationForum/
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