The 2023 Outstanding Worthy Leaders In-volved Exceptionally (OWLIE) awards held April 12 in the Davidson Auditorium marked the ninth year of the beloved spring tradition.

Since its inaugural event in 2015, the OWLIE awards celebration has honored students, faculty, staff and alumni for their service, academic, mentoring, leadership and other contributions on behalf of the Jindal school. Both the reason for the awards and the result of them is the continuing positive impact OWLIE nominees have had on their peers, professors and the greater DFW and international communities.

During the pandemic, two virtual ceremonies were held to keep the tradition alive until the OWLIE awards could successfully return to an in-person gathering in 2022. This year’s OWLIE awards, complete with music, food and magic, offered an audience-pleasing celebration to honor their “worthy” recipients.

OWLIE award winners each got to take home a shining owl trophy, a miniature version of “Wise the Owl,” presented to them by Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean. “Wise” is a sculpture created by Brad Oldham that stands in the JSOM courtyard and serves as the business school’s unofficial mascot. Oldham and his wife Christy were in attendance.

This year’s celebration included an acoustic performance of “Home” by local Texas music artist and member of the graduate dean’s council Sapphir (Shabnam Amini), a magic presentation by UTD student magician Kyle, a show by violin and guitar duo Strings Attached, and a special visit from an owl mascot.