Jenna Cheop is Honored for Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
Jenna Cheop is Honored for Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
Published: December 14, 2025.
“I found my voice and passion at Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ,” said Jenna C. Cheop. The Plainfield, Ill., student was the recipient of the Father Aquinas Colgan Award during the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Evening Degree Ceremony on December 12 at the Romeoville Campus.
The Father Aquinas Award is the university’s highest honor for academic achievement, leadership, and service. It recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated personal and intellectual growth during their years at Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ. She added, “The freshman Jenna is not the same Jenna who is graduating here this year. I have changed in so many ways throughout the 4 years I spent here.”
Cheop, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Psychology in August, maintained a 3.9 GPA while working full-time as a Site Coordinator for Fry Family YMCA in Naperville, Ill. That led to her receiving the Outstanding Service Award from the Department of Psychology, as well as creating a promotional video for the department.
“Over the past 4 years, I have stepped out of my comfort zone, taken risks I never thought would become reality, and discovered strengths I did not know I had,” she described.
The creature of habit studied abroad for three months in Rome, Italy, as part of the at the Lasallian Universities Center for Education. The current Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Master of Social Work student learned a lot about herself studying abroad and locally. While interning at a Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Joliet, she became aware of the overwhelming amount of support and encouragement she received from others.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ is a modern, enterprising, Catholic university with a growing student enrollment from GED through doctoral level programs. As part of the global Lasallian network of 65 universities, Lewis is known for preparing graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.