Tara Adhikari Named Lincoln Academy Student Laureate
Each fall, Principia College nominates one senior for the prestigious Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award based on leadership and service in the pursuit of the betterment of humanity and overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities. Students selected from colleges and universities across Illinois become Student Laureates of the Lincoln Academy. This year’s Principia College Lincoln Academy Student Laureate is Tara Adhikari.
Tara, a global studies and political science major, has held several leadership positions on the College campus. As a freshman, she served as house president. She was an academic representative for the Student Senate her sophomore year as well as a student representative on the Scholastic Committee. In her junior year, Tara co-directed Principia’s Public Affairs Conference—the longest-running, student-led conference in the nation. She is currently a senior class representative, helping to plan the senior class gift.
In 2019, Tara served as a research assistant to Principia’s Department of Engineering Science, conducting social-impact research on the applicability of 3D-printing technology for prosthetic limbs in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This past summer, in lieu of a cancelled internship with the State Department in Washington, DC, Tara served as a research assistant to Principia’s Economics Department research team. She helped design research analysis methodologies measuring the impact of a $75 million investment on downtown revitalization and local economic development in Alton, Illinois.
Tara’s involvement with campus sports and activities is also extensive. She is a contributing writer for the Pilot (the student newsmagazine), a CSO Wednesday Reader, a member (and record-holder) of the track and field team, and the captain of the women’s soccer team.
Tara has earned honors in addition to the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award. She was named a Model Illinois Moot Court semifinalist, repeatedly earned a position on the Dean’s List, and was selected for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s All-Academic Team. Outside of Principia, Tara received two awards from CedarS Camps: the Excellence in Moral Courage Award, in recognition of her integrity, and the Iron Staff Award, honoring her commitment and consistency.
Traditionally, in November, recipients of the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award gather at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. This year the event will be held via Zoom. Tara will receive a certificate, letter from the governor, medallion, challenge coin, and stipend.
As she shifts her focus to life after graduation, Tara is considering professions in law and journalism.