On Oct. 14, during halftime at the Parents and Family Weekend football game, University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis and his wife, Eleni, along with UD Alumni Association Vice President Linda Justice Myrick, Class of ’77, presented the UD Alumni Association's 2017 T. Muncy Keith Spirit Award to Brendan Hickey.

Hickey, a senior mechanical engineering major in the Honors Program and vice president of the University of Delaware Student Alumni Ambassadors (UDSAA), was honored with the $1,000 scholarship. This award is presented annually by the alumni association to a student ambassador who has made the greatest contribution to the organization.

UDSAA members are undergraduate students selected for their outstanding achievements and leadership on campus. Ambassadors support the Office of Development and Alumni Relations by encouraging school spirit through events like Homecoming Spirit Day and I Heart UD Day, while also fostering connections among alumni and students.  They serve as advisory members to the University community and the alumni association and educate their UD peers on the importance of alumni impact through philanthropy at UD.  All aspire to be active alumni upon graduation and many continue to stay engaged through regional alumni clubs and by returning to campus regularly for events.

Hickey, who has been in UDSAA since his freshman year and previously served as the vice president of membership was honored to receive the UDAA T. Muncy Keith Spirit Award this year.

“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the UD Student Alumni Ambassadors as the organization has helped me grow as a student, a leader and an overall person,” Hickey said. “Through the UDSAA, I have acquired a much deeper appreciation for UD and its connection with its alumni, and I am excited to become a proud active alumnus after this year. What UD has given me over these past four years cannot be measured. I will forever be grateful to the Blue Hen community."

To learn more about the awards, the UD Alumni Association and UD Student Alumni Ambassadors, visit www.UDconnection.com.

Those interested in becoming a member of UDSAA can learn more here.  The application link for UDSAA will open later this semester and applications will be accepted until mid-February 2018.