Could you be the next Top Ten Senior?

We’re looking for students who have:

  • Demonstrated growth emotionally, academically, socially, and professionally in their time at UTEP.
  • Achieved academic excellence.
  • Contributed to the community.
  • Demonstrated leadership.
  • The potential to be an engaged alumni.

If this is you,continue reading to learn more about the application process.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Have a minimum cumulative 3.50 grade point average. (Calculated after fall grades have been submitted.)
  • Show sustained involvement, service, and leadership on campus and in the community.
  • Be an undergraduate receiving your first UTEP degree in December 2025, May 2026, or August 2026.
  • Never have been subject to disciplinary action for academic or non-academic reasons. (A list of applicants will be given to the Office of the Dean of Students for verification.) 
  • Note to Students in Fast-Track Programs: Only those enrolled in a Fast-Track Program in which a bachelor’s degree is conferred are eligible to apply.


What to Prepare to Complete Your Application (see details for each item below) 

  1. A 1–2-minute self-recorded video
  2. 1 400-word max essay response
  3. 2 200-word max short answer responses.
  4. Involvement Excel for your top 5 UTEP experiences
  5. 2 Professional Reference Forms submitted on your behalf (Application can be submitted while you wait for your professional references to be submitted)

All provided word maximums and video length will be strictly enforced. Failing to abide by the set requirements will result in the disqualification of your application. We recommend that you work on your essay and short answer responses ahead of time. Review the questions below and start working on them in a Word document. 

Once you have your application materials ready, click here to apply.

Video Overview

  • Prompt to Answer: Share three reasons why you should be a Top Ten Senior (avoid generalities, e.g., "because I am passionate...").
  • Video Length: 1-2 minutes long maximum
  • The video must be self-recorded, and you must appear speaking for the entire video.
  • Your application will be disqualified if your video is:
    • longer than 2 minutes
    • edited to include videos or pictures with you speaking through a voiceover.

Essay Question Overview

  • Prompt: What is something you learned during your time as a student at UTEP that changed who you are as a person? This could be related to your curriculum, extracurricular activities, or experiences outside of UTEP while you were a student. We are interested in how you have demonstrated growth academically, socially, and/or professionally. How do you envision impacting the world as a UTEP alum with what you’ve learned?
  • Your application will be disqualified if your essay is longer than 400 words.

Short Answers Overview

  • Prompt 1: How have you positively impacted your community during your time at UTEP?
  • Prompt 2: How have you become a leader during your time at UTEP?
  • 300-word max. for each response
  • Your application will be disqualified if your short-answer responses are longer than 300 words each.

Involvement Excel Overview

In place of a resume, you will complete an Excel template to list your top 5 involvement experiences that you want the committee to consider. This can include items like: 

  • Employment
  • Leadership Roles
  • UTEP Related Activities – Community Engagement, Service, Student Organizations
  • Non-UTEP Related Activities – Community Engagement/Volunteering
  • Research or other Scholarly Opportunities

Please describe what you did and the biggest outcome in no more than 1-2 sentences. 

Your application will not be considered/disqualified if your involvement excel lists more than 5 experiences or if your explanations are too long.

Download the template here: https://minetracker.utep.edu/organization/toptensenior/documents/view/2479001

 

Professional Reference Forms Overview

In place of getting letters of recommendation, you will need to have 2 professional references complete a reference form. It is a brief form that allows them to share more about your character, accomplishments, and overall impact during your time at UTEP.  

Instructions for Student

  • Select 2 people to complete a reference form on your behalf.
  • The person who is submitting on your behalf must not be a family member or close friend. They will need to be a professional or academic reference.
  • On the application, you’ll include their contact information. 
  • Once you know who will be submitting a form on your behalf, send them the link.
  • You can have them fill out the form before you are done applying. Don’t wait until you’ve applied to send them the form.
  • Send them this link to complete a reference form on your behalf: https://minetracker.utep.edu/submitter/form/start/693048 

Instructions for Individuals Writing a Reference

You will complete a MineTracker Form requesting the following information: 

  • Your relationship to the student.
  • How long you’ve known them and in what capacity.
  • Your rating of the student on 5 categories: Academic Excellence, Leadership, Service to UTEP and/or Community, Campus Involvement/Miner Spirit, Character & Personal Growth.
  • Sharing any additional comments for the committee to consider.
  • Selecting a recommendation rating: Highly recommend for the award; Recommend for the award; Indifferent (Due to lack of relationship, lack of display of achievement, etc.); Do not recommend for the award.
  • You can complete the form here.

For more information, please contact us at alumniawards@utep.edu