STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Within HTMS is the student organization, Knights of the RELM. The Knights of the RELM works in association with the United Abolitionists, and It’s a Penalty. As members of Knights of the RELM, we fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery along with other social issues within the industry.
Our mission at Knights of the RELM is to be service leaders of change through impact, legacy, development, and sustainability in events, specifically mega-events on a local, national, and global scale. We aim to accomplish our mission through the creation of 360-degree value of events through student development; effectively teaching about the duality of events, particularly mega-events, with a focus on residential community impact; and increasing student involvement in mega-events and the knowledge to aid in the prevention of human trafficking.
THEY ARE THE BEST IN THE NATION
Congratulations to our Student Organization, Knights of the RELM, for winning the Student Group of the Year at the 12th Annual Liberator Awards! This award celebrates advocates in the fight against human trafficking for their impact and contributions, created by The SOAP Project with Theresa Flores as their CEO & Founder in Columbus, Ohio.
Thank you, Dr. Marianne Thomas, for nominating them, and thank you, Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, for introducing our students to this fight and for your guidance over the past two years. Because of all the past and current members of Knights of the RELM and their tireless effort, they were nationally recognized: Sydney Weisman, Madelyn Hutchinson, Liv Wastier, Gabriela Bonilla, Francis Pepe, Aili Wu, Ashley Zarwanitzer, Natalie Weiss, William Zambelli, Mia Rossi, Erin Bridgan, James Costa, Daniel Neddo, and Annastazia Allgire. We cannot be prouder of our students.
Also, congratulations to Sydney Weisman ’23, ’25MS, our Knights of the RELM founder and president, for winner the Order of Pegasus Award!
Order of Pegasus is the highest honor a student can obtain throughout their time at the University of Central Florida. Having been awarded to only 438 individuals since 2001, this designation represents a student’s exemplary academic achievement, leadership, community service, university involvement, and research contributions. We are extremely proud of Sydney for her outstanding dedication and impactful initiatives in advancing student involvement in the fight against human trafficking. Her exceptional leadership, commitment to raising awareness, and drive to foster meaningful change have significantly strengthened our shared mission. She is truly a force to be reckoned with, and we look forward to seeing the continued impact of her work in the years to come. You can read more about her at our 2024-25 Annual Report here.
Leaders of Knights of the RELM
Madelyn Hutchinson (President): My name is Madelyn Hutchinson and I am the current president of Knights of the RELM as of Fall 2025. As president my job is to carry the torch that our founding students strived for us to accomplish. Along with the students of Knights of the RELM I get to work with our amazing board at the UCF Center of Study for Human Trafficking. A goal of mine this semester is to help the center to acquire items that they need through a drive. I wanted to become president of Knights of the RELM to assist in any way possible to help stop trafficking and use resources to spread the word about our cause.
LET’S GET SOCIAL
Follow Knights of the RELM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kotr.ucf/