Le Mentec recognized for Distinguished Student Service at SIU
Kevin Le Mentec is the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Student Service Award for SIU School of Medicine. The honor was announced at the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees Meeting in Carbondale on April 17.
Le Mentec is a fourth-year medical student from Bloomington. He plans to pursue a career in neurology. A self-taught musician, he founded and served as the inaugural president of the medical school's Therapeutic Music Interest Group, which invites musically inclined students to provide music therapy services to patients undergoing intensive rehabilitation.
“Over the last two years, Kevin has volunteered hundreds of hours performing original piano improvisations for more than 1,000 patients and family members," his nominator said. "Through these encounters, he’s made lasting memories in the lives of patients and families. His music helps improve mood, reduce anxiety and promote reflection.”
After one such performance, the nominator said she was contacted by a faculty member who was present when Kevin arrived to play for a loved one. “It made me so proud to have this young man as a part of our SIU family,” they said.
In addition to his musical outreach, Le Mentec also volunteers as a mentor in the Wesley McNeese Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program and as an advocate and translator for the Immigration Project, a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to immigrants in central and southern Illinois.
He was also selected to represent the school of medicine in an exchange program with Aichi Medical School in Japan. Following his graduation in May, Le Mentec will begin a neurology residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.
View a video of Kevin Le Mentec’s prize-winning piano performance at the SIU School of Medicine Talent Showcase in Springfield, April 10, 2025.
