In her more than two decades in higher education, Silvia Patricia Rios Husain has always taken a student-first approach. First as an administrator at Broward College in Florida, later at Gaston College in North Carolina now as Associate Vice President for Student Success at USC, a role which she has held over the past six years.

It's that drive to advocate and understand students that underscores all of her and her team's work in Student Success every day. When she arrived at South Carolina, the school already boasted a top-ranked first-year student experience, and University 101 classes were nearing a half century of success, but Rios Husain and Student Affairs leadership made a leap to extend that unparalled student experience beyond the first year, leading to the creation of the Carolina Experience.

It's Rios Husain's same drive and visionary leadership that has led her to be named the Mena Valdez Award winner for Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer from NASPA's Latinx/a/o Knowledge Community (LKC). The award recognizes outstanding LKC members on college campuses around the country, named for NASPA's inagural LKC co-chairs, Laura Valdez and Dr. Salvador Mena.

Additionally, her teams are continuing to excel on a regional and national stage, demonstrating the exceptional work being done for students on the university's Columbia campus. The Student Success Center recently received the NASPA Excellence Award Gold in the Academic Advising, Graduate, Professional and related category for the Graduate Student Support Program. And the Carolina Experience received the NASPA Excellence Award Bronze in the Commuter, Off Campus, Military Connected, Non traditional and related category.

What she's saying

I am honored and humbled to be recognized for work that is both meaningful and impactful. It is a privilege to lead amazing teams, foster innovation and elevate best practices that directly support student success. Seeing how this work positively impacts the lives of our students and our community is truly rewarding. I am deeply grateful to the leadership at the University of South Carolina for their support and trust, to the colleagues and mentors who inspire me to serve with purpose and passion and to the students who inspire our efforts every day.

Rios Husain and 11 other Mena Valdez Award winners will be honored at the 2026 NASPA National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, March 7-11.