SIU Carbondale history major from Geneva, Ill., is 2024 Lincoln Academy student laureate

October 25, 2024

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A history major from the western suburbs of Chicago with a strong admiration for President Abraham Lincoln is the 2024 Lincoln Academy of Illinois student laureate for Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Carlos Gomez, of Geneva, Illinois, will receive the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award at ceremonies on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the University of Illinois Springfield's Performing Arts Center. The Lincoln Academy of Illinois presents the award, along with a $1,000 stipend to one outstanding graduating senior from each of the state's four-year colleges and universities, as well as one from the state's community colleges. Students are honored for their leadership and service in the pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Gomez, who carries a 4.0 GPA and will graduate in May 2025, came to SIU Carbondale as a Provost Scholar after graduating from Waubonsee Community College. He is a McNair Scholar, earned a Jeanne Hurley Simon Memorial Library Scholarship from Morris Library for research, and the William J. Pitkin Memorial Scholarship in the School of History and Philosophy.

He was "utterly shocked and completely humbled" after learning from Jonathan Bean, professor and director in the School of History and Philosophy, that he was nominated and later chosen as SIU Carbondale's selection to receive the award.

"I know that there were so many other fantastic and hardworking Salukis that I was in competition with, and to hear that the committee had chosen me came as a tremendous shock," Gomez said, crediting his success "in no small part" to faculty including Bean, Ted Cohen, an associate professor in the School of Africana and Multicultural Studies, and others in his college career "who have imparted some of their own dedication and confidence in me."

In his nomination letter, Cohen noted Gomez's community involvement. At SIU, Gomez founded and is president of the Saluki Historical Society, a registered student organization, and he makes sure it is open to students who are not history majors and to the community. While at Waubonsee, Gomez was president of Students for a Diverse Society - showing an "attention to diversity which relates to his own family's history dating back to when his grandparents lived in Mexico" and evident of how Gomez "studies the past and engages with the present," Cohen wrote.

Lincoln's legacy

Gomez admires Lincoln for several reasons, not only for his "tireless work" to end slavery in the nation but also for his leadership during the Civil War and his eternal humanity.

"The stories the histories tell us of his good humor, his deep grief, his effortless wit and brilliance - they shine all the brighter, not because he was president but because they reveal that Lincoln never lost his basic humanity and ability to be moved and move others," Gomez said.

"Though the United States does not face a potentially fatal rebellion, nor are we mired in the sin of chattel slavery, this does not mean that there are not correlations between our and Lincoln's time, nor does it mean that Lincoln and the entire period do not have lessons for us all," he said. "Injustice, personal misery, needless misfortune, institutional racism, violence and anti-democratic movements are still well and alive in our country and our state. If we want to better both the world for ourselves and for our descendants, we need to tap into the eternal strength of the men and women who desired an end the greatest evil in their midst to end those in ours."

Nothing can match history

Gomez said history is exciting and that the drama and wonder from it cannot be matched. In addition to learning about the past, its people, along with their flaws and greatness, it "never ceases to amaze or sometimes shock at just how similar we can be," Gomez said.

"I believe in the power of history to change the world. I believe passionately that those who learn about the past understand the present, and those who understand the present can change the future," he said.

Gomez credits his parents, Jose and Pamela, for their "support, love and inspiration." His father helped provide a love of history and learning, and his mother offered continual advice and help.

A June 2021 graduate of Geneva High School, Gomez enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve three months earlier, and after basic training, attended advanced individual training at Fort Gregg-Adams, formerly Fort Lee. His military occupational specialty is wheeled vehicle mechanic.

"While I never saw the Army in my future before I enlisted, I came to see it as a way to provide some discipline, focus and support in my life," he said. "I have received all this and more from the Army, and I am always grateful to the men and women I've worked with in that service."

Gomez said he plans to take a year after graduation to gain professional experience in library sciences and then pursue a master's degree in library sciences.

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