Jason De León was awarded the Individual Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education in Race & Ethnicity Instruction bestowed by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The Individual Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education in Race & Ethnicity Instruction is given following a nomination from department leadership.

Students and Faculty alike praised De León for his commitment to his courses, research, and students. A former student said, “Without fail, Jason brings his full self to his teaching, humbly and honestly engaging with his students as respected peers.” De León has made Anthropology 101 an enriching experience for his students. A former student said, “He gave us challenging, provocative material then created an open space for conversation, where we could pick apart the texts together and find our way to conclusions and more questions.”  

Faculty were quoted as saying, “He has been transformative, an inspiration for all of us committed to our undergraduates of the pleasure, and even joy, to be found in teaching them.”