Lia Koski (Global Studies major, Economics and Spanish minors) was co-awarded the Richard Abrams Scholarship. On the UIUC campus, she serves on the executive board as Secretary and Lead Events Coordinator for the Jewish organization, Adamah, an environmental club focused on connecting nature to Jewish values and lessons. Recently, she organized a campus trash clean-up event, collecting 128 pounds of trash, and connected this accomplishment to the Jewish phrase, “Tikkun olam,” emphasizing how it is our duty to give back to the Earth and repair the world in the ways we can. In the spring semester, she has also been a Hillel intern, generating support and recruiting members for an educational trip to Israel scheduled for December 2026. The trip brings both Jewish and non-Jewish students to the Middle East to learn about different perspectives. The trip’s goal is to understand why conflicts in the Middle East are so complex, teaching students to avoid making surface-level assumptions and to think critically.