Leadership award given to outstanding business majors

Emma Ure, Paola, Kansas, and Simeon Windibiziri, Lawrence, Kansas, are the 2020 recipients of the Professor Fran Jabara Leadership Award. The award is named for renowned Wichita educator and entrepreneur F.D. (Fran) Jabara, a lifelong proponent of recognizing and promoting excellence in leadership. It recognizes a male and female graduating senior from each participating private university in Kansas and includes a $1,000 award.

“On behalf of the selection committee, I am very pleased to congratulate Emma and Simeon,” said Dr. Judy Smrha, chair of the Department of Business and Economics. “Their academic excellence, departmental involvement, and career potential distinguished them for this award.”

EMMA URE

Ure, who majored in accounting and finance, was active in parMentors and Speech Choir. She was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and served as a Panhellenic Council delegate.

“Baker has brought me so many opportunities and experiences that I would never have been able to have anywhere else. I was able to be challenged by my professors to understand not only business and accounting, but how they can be applied in other areas of the world. The relationships I made at Baker, either through academics or Greek life, have provided me with the confidence to make my own path as a leader,” said Ure, who has accepted a position as an audit associate at Keller & Owens, LLC.

SIMEON WINDIBIZIRI

Windibiziri, who majored in business with an emphasis in finance and management and minored in data analytics, was active in Mungano. He was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete as a member of the track team and qualified to compete in the javelin at the NAIA National Championships.

“Baker has given me the opportunity to better myself in so many ways. I will be forever thankful to the professors, coaches, teammates, and friends for building me into a driven individual, ready for whatever challenges come my way, both in business and life,” said Windibiziri, who has accepted a position as a territory manager with Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Springfield, Missouri.