OU honors three outstanding student leaders

On Thursday, April 20, Oakland University’s Board of Trustees recognized three students for outstanding leadership, academic achievements and service to campus and in the community. 

The Alfred G. Wilson and Matilda R. Wilson awards – the most prestigious honors the university presents to students – have recognized OU’s top scholars and leaders since 1965. The awards commemorate the Wilson family, whose generous donation of land and financial resources helped establish the university in 1957.  

The Human Relations Award recognizes a student who has made a valuable social impact within the university community.

A committee reviews nominations from faculty, staff and students and selects the award recipients. Recommended candidates are ultimately approved as honorees by the vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer, and the president. 

Alfred G. Wilson Award: Mustafa Baig 

Mustafa Baig, a 3.68 Operations Management major with a specialization in Project Management and minor in Management Information Systems, has left an indelible mark on OU and surrounding communities. Currently, Baig serves as a School of Business Administration (SBA) Ambassador, devoting his time, energy, and talents to engaging with his peers through various mentorship endeavors, community outreach projects, and serving as the face of SBA during recruitment and admissions events throughout the tri-county region. 

Baig also had the opportunity to serve as a Career Ambassador with Career Services. He is credited for helping countless students earn internships with prominent companies by providing excellent career-related guidance, including help with resume and cover letter writing, mock interviewing techniques and proper social media etiquette.

Aside from his role as a SBA Ambassador, Baig continues to let his light shine in various volunteer roles throughout campus. This includes serving as the Secretary and Social Media Chair for the Society of Operations Management; a founding member and Secretary of Phi Sigma Pi; helping to organize and promote the Golden Grizzlies Food Pantry; serving as a My Covid Response tutor; and helping the American Red Cross host countless blood drives at Oakland University.

Along with juggling various student organization and volunteer positions, Baig excelled academically, earning President’s and Dean’s List honors, as well as multiple scholarships, including the Gerald and Lisa Kearns Finish-Line Scholarship, the Brian C. Meer Scholarship, and the Academic Achievement Scholarship. Professionally, Baig had the pleasure of serving in two internships: as a student buyer at TI Fluid Systems and as a project management intern at Village Book Builders, guiding volunteers on how to provide educational support to children around the world. 

Matilda R. Wilson Award: Isabella Mahuad

Isabella Mahuad is set to graduate from Oakland University in April 2023 with a double major in International Relations and Spanish. During her time at OU, she earned a 3.9 GPA and made significant contributions to the University and surrounding community.

Mahuad has served in executive leadership positions for multiple student organizations, including President of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO), Mainstage Director for the Student Program Board (SBP), and Vice President of the Model United Nations Club. Additionally, Mahuad has helped shape the landscape for countless first year students at OU, serving as an Orientation Group Leader and Success Coach for the First Year Advising Center (FYAC).

Mahuad has passionately spread awareness of the Hispanic culture throughout OU and the greater Pontiac communities. She took the initiative to organize a display in the Oakland Center for Dia De Los Muertos, served as a guest speaker for Project Upward Bound, worked closely with the Department of Modern Languages to organize events and activities for Hispanic Heritage Month and volunteered for Centro Multicultural La Familia, a nonprofit organization based in Pontiac.

Mahuad also published an essay she wrote for one of her Spanish classes in “Nuestras Voces.” During her time in OU’s Model United Nations Club, she received the Book Award at the North American Model UN Conference in Toronto and was honored as an “Excellent Delegate” at the Lake Erie Model UN Conference in Ohio. Along with those accomplishments, Mahuad is a Presidential Scholar, an Honors College Merit Scholarship Recipient and a 2022 Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient.

Human Relations Award: Carly Hammond

Carly Hammond arrived at OU during the Fall 2014 semester as a music major. As her years progressed at OU, she felt a call growing stronger and stronger towards another path. In January 2017, Hammond was involved in a horrible rollover car accident that left her unharmed but forever changed. She vowed to trust her instincts, and in a leap of faith, she left OU to discover her true passion.  

Hammond soon found herself in Flint, a community that was waging a battle for justice in the midst of their ongoing water crisis. As she learned and listened to the citizens of Flint, Hammond was connected to an organization called Michigan United, who invested and trained her to help Flint residents organize and advocate for the basic necessities for survival. Through this effort, Hammond became a community organizer, helping and leading various public awareness campaigns against austerity measures and emergency management. Additionally, she co-led an effort to protest at the state Capitol through the “Water for Flint, not Nestlé” campaign. This effort saw positive results as Nestlé began donating 100,000 bottles of water for Flint residents every week. By March 2020, they had donated over 9.7 million bottles.  

Hammond's passion for community organizing in Flint sparked a career in power-building and change-making. In 2018, she worked for NextGen as a Field Organizer, focusing on the Saginaw Bay region's most politically disinvested neighborhoods. In 2020, she made her first bid for public office, running for State Representative in her home region of Saginaw. While unsuccessful, that experience connected her with like-minded residents, and in 2021 she founded Saginaw Community Alliance for the People (CAP), an advocacy 501c3 nonprofit committed to justice and equity for the residents of Saginaw. Saginaw CAP, along with partnerships in the water justice and civil rights community like ACLU and Sierra Club, was instrumental in instituting a water shutoff moratorium in July 2021, avoiding discriminatory water shutoffs for 750 Saginaw families. She plans to run for office again someday.

Hammond currently serves as an Organizing Specialist for the Michigan AFL-CIO, tackling labor issues for workers throughout the state and helping workers organize themselves into a union. With purpose and stability, Hammond returned to OU in Winter 2021 to finish her degree, this time in history. She credits Dr. Mike Mitchell and Professor Victoria Shively, who provided integral support for Hammond while she was a music major, with giving her the strength and confidence to return to school. During her second stint on campus, she successfully managed her professional, community and academic obligations, while serving in various leadership positions involving social justice and equity initiatives. She graduated from Oakland in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in history, earning a 3.89 GPA and leaving a significant imprint on campus and beyond.